Five Mockingbirds

what you may not know...

2012-01-11T10:19:00.004-06:00

is that i'm teaching the ladies class on wednesday nights at our church. y'all...i don't know why. i'm not sure why anyone would even allow such nonsense to happen. but it is. i went to our preacher's wife, elayne, who is so awesome...i just love her. anyway, i saw this book at lifeway and thought, "hmm...lots of good, basic topics. i bet this could be a good study" and i took it to her to show her to see if she was interested. of course she said, "looks good. are you going to teach it?"

silence...

then crickets...

then a check for vital signs b/c i KNOW she was not asking ME that question.

i've taught a class of 3 year olds ~~against my better judgement~~, I've been with kids 3rd grade-college age and done quick devotionals ~~and even a sex class at Bible camp right after I was married-the nurse stuff, the Bible stuff and the real life stuff~~, and done prewritten Bible lessons...but this? NO. this was for women. like women my age and older. women who actually know stuff. women who are all learn-ed and whatnot. so what did i do?

I told her i'd think about it.

and i did. i took the book to the beach this past august and started reading through it. and thank goodness, it's not a very cerebral book (the author's words, not mine). but it is very applicable to every day living and that is what i LOVE when i'm in a class. i need to relate things.

also, in the years since being a stay at home mom, i have kind of let go of my used-to-be outgoing self and climbed into a box, into a box with the lights off and waaaaaaaaay back into a corner where no one could see me. (raise your hand if you've known me long enough to know that just ain't me.)

so...i prayed and decided that if He was gonna lead me down this road i may as well sign up to be a tour guide and not just another passenger asking "are we there yet?"

and then do you know that Elayne brought us Priscilla Shirer's lessons on Jonah this past fall...you know...when God told Jonah to do something and Jonah all but ran away? That one?Yeah. I'm kind of thinking I couldn't say no at that point.

micah asks me every week how class is going. and i have no idea. i tell him to ask someone who is actually there ~~but not one of my friends cause they love me enough to lie to him~~. He says as long as i'm not being heckled it's probably fine. (y'all feel the love right there, too, right? nah, i'm kidding. he reads my lessons every week and lets me know if it at least makes sense.)

so i find that i'm doing purposeful reading and researching every week, something i haven't done in a long time. and i'm not too proud to tell you that some of the topics in this book that i thought were easy breezy...are kind of slapping me in the face and convicting me like i need to be...especially as i look outside of the text and dig for more scripture to base my own thoughts off of.

a week or two ago i read a friend's blog that said she had been out of God's word for a few days or a week or so and she could really tell in her attitude. Not two days later I was having breakfast with a friend to do our Christmas exchange and she was asking me to really give her something to think about b/c she had also been out of her Bible reading and could really tell in her attitude.

i have a feeling that was God trying to tell me something. I mean it was almost verbatim between these two friends who don't know each other but they are both a blessing to me. I confess that in the years that I've crawled into my box that my dependance on God is one of the things I have let go of. well, shame on me. and really...how ignorant. perhaps if i hadn't pushed talking to Him aside and searching out comfort and knowledge in His word then i'd have never known there was a little dark box for me to crawl into.

anyone else like that?

just goes to show you...sometimes you think you need to hear something encouraging and uplifting from someone else when really, it's right in front of you and He just wants YOU to search it out and find it for yourself. I mean, you learn the most when you do the work, right?

what i've learned so far is that it really is true...the teacher usually is the one who learns the most. so if you are feeling like you need to be challenged in your spiritual life, perhaps teaching just one class is what you need. trust me when I tell you that God will give you the confidence to stand up there. I look at 40 women every week and i just KNEW i was going to need some sort of pill, anxiety or antiemetic, to make it through. but i haven't felt nervous even once and i DON'T do stuff in front of crowds ~~well, except for cheering all those years, but that's beside the point.~~

i have about 5 hours to pull together tonight's lesson on putting off the old self. and since it's the new year, the timing couldn't be better. i have a LOT of those areas to work on.

merry merry...

2011-12-25T13:40:00.004-06:00

happy holidays from all of us to all of you!

eleven years

2011-12-15T20:30:00.003-06:00

Happy anniversary love! eleven years down, sixty something to go! even if all i ever had was you, i'd be a happy woman! but you have given me more than i've ever asked for. i'm so glad you're my best friend!

a little trip

2011-11-21T11:30:00.003-06:00

soooo...long time, huh? i just got back from a long weekend trip out to las vegas to visit my friend Ellen. We had an awesome time and i'm so thankful to my husband for making this trip happen for me. he's the best! first thing we did...was see this little bit of sweetness (which was from 2-4 AM my time...and i had been up since 6!)

Otherthings we did...

things i didn't do: gamble, drink, get a tattoo, see a show, see Elvis or Barry Manilow, or take one of those cards that people try to give you every two feet for an x-rated encounter. I did stand like 6 inches from Jose Canseco and didn't realize it until someone called out his name. He's a big dude, but not 'roided up like he used to be. Just in case you were wondering. OH, I also got to go out to Nellis AFB and happened to see a few stunts by the...stunt planes...can't remember their names. it wasn't for a whole show. we just happened to catch a few end stunts. anyway, it was a fun time and micah was awesome enough to work from home and take care of the kids so that i could unwind and have a great time! hopefully next time, he'll get to come with me!

mom challenge...

2011-10-20T20:13:00.004-05:00

sorry...i know y'all have been looking at my chili recipe for a month now. no excuses other than to much...muchness going on. i DO have another chili recipe, though. or i actually thought it was more like a mexican chicken stew. anyway, not the reason i'm here today. found this on my love Pinterest. thought i'd share b/c it surely spoke to me and how i could do better in our muchness.

source

(go to the source or click for larger)

Chili Recipe

2011-09-23T21:33:00.002-05:00

ever try to make something several times before you feel like you finally got it right? well, here is my jillionth time at chili.

Chili (makes about 6 quarts)

2 lbs ground beef (I used ground chuck b/c it was on sale)
1.5 tsp minced garlic
1 medium onion, diced
1 small to med greed bell pepper, diced
2 cans green chilis
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can chili beans (I used mild)
1- 29 oz can tomato sauce (yes, the bigg’un)
1- 29 oz can petite diced tomatoes
2 cups water
1 pkg chili seasoning mix
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the diced onion, bell pepper and garlic over a medium high heat until tender. Add in the ground beef and cook until browned. Drain off all fat. In a large stock pot or crock pot (my method) add beef and seasonings. Stir. Add all other ingredients and cook on low all day. (I didn’t have to add anything during the day. You can choose the hotter version of the chili/taco seasonings if you like it spicier. This was plenty for me, though.)

Hope it turns out well for you. I like to serve this with cheese and Jiffy corn muffins...or sometimes Fritos. Depends on how well I’ve done on my diet for the week, haha! This filled my 6 quart crock pot so we’ll have plenty for another time.)

we interrupt important family business to bring you...

2011-09-13T18:12:00.001-05:00

a 33 year old just squee'd somewhere...maybe in athens.

hair bow organizer

2011-08-26T08:45:00.007-05:00

i'm not as crafty as some folks. i don't have the patience for it. but sometimes an idea is simple enough that it pans out for me and makes me feel all smart again.

i've needed to organize AC's bows and accoutrements for a while now. it started with a ribbon hanging on the back of her closet. and since she has such wild hair that actually requires the help of a spray bottle and detangler and sometimes mousse...it was just easier to move her stuff to my bathroom. but i already share a bathroom and storage that is easy and doesn't get in the way of my too many B&B lotions is paramount.

so, after much thought and hours spent looking at websites and Pinterest (my new love and time suck) i decided to quit looking and get with it already.

oddly, the idea didn't come to full fruition until i was browsing around Bed Bath & Beyond yesterday. (i was really there on the prowl looking for shoe organization for me and barbie organization for her.) but i ran across this little diddy and thought..."hey, this could work."

it's a jewelry organizer. now let me be honest, i actually thought the little pockets were larger than they are. i thought the bows would fit inside the pockets. but, in response to the stink eye i was giving the too small pockets, the brilliance that is my husband said, "can you just clip them over the edge?"

Well, yes, dang it...i can. the ones that have alligator clips anyway. but what about the french barrettes? they need to clip closed to stay on.

I eyed it. i crooked my mouth. i grabbed the seam ripper (since i actually knew where it was...the sewing drawers having just been organized...do you see a theme?) and sliced the bottom of the pockets so that i could close the bow around it. it was magic.

truly a beautiful thing. so simple. it's double sided, so bows on one side...pony tail holders and barrettes on the other. slap some cute stickers on it (b/c i don't have one of those super cool cricut things) and call her done!

show it to you kid and forbid her touch it. easy peasy!

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie (Freezable)

2011-08-22T19:36:00.001-05:00

because sharing is caring...

The Recipe: (which is picky eater approved)

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 can 98%Fat Free cream of chicken soup

1 can 98%FF cream of celery soup (trust me on this)

1 can cream of potato soup (doesn't come in FF, sadly)

1 small can corn, drained

1 small can sliced carrots, drained

1 small can sweet peas, drained

1 refrigerated pie crust, cut into strips

Directions:

Cut pie crust into strips and set aside. Mix all other ingredients together, adding a little salt and pepper to taste. Fill a casserole dish or individual aluminum pot pie holders with the pot pie mixture. Place enough strips across the top to cover, but allow spaces for the steam to rise. At this point, you can cover with foil and freeze (which is what I did.)

From Frozen: Do not thaw!! Remove aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, then 400 for 30 minutes. My crust didn't even think about burning using this method!!

From fresh: I'd start with baking at 350 for...25 minutes? Until bubbly and crust starts to brown.

Because I am the best...it's 5 Weight Watcher pointsPlus per serving before you add the crust...and it serves 6!! (you would add 3-4 more points per serving, depending on the pie crust nutritional info...but don't forget, this serves 6 as i have it divided. 32 for the filling, total.)

enjoy that bad boy and thank me later!!

Cooking/Freezing in bulk.

2011-08-16T17:49:00.003-05:00

The hardest thing about cooking once a month (or even just every two weeks if you don’t have the freezer space) is just deciding where to start. I started doing it out of necessity. This past spring, both of our boys were playing baseball and we had 6 practices per week between the two of them and of course, all at different times, and different fields! We couldn’t afford to eat out every time, health wise or money wise. So I started by looking for things that I could fix quickly.

During the busier months I didn’t do many casseroles or things like that because for one thing, my kids are picky eaters. They do better with a meat and sides added. But also, I knew if I cooked the meat part ahead of time, everything I made to go with it would cook just about as quickly as whatever I was reheating.

So…first I made a list of things I knew we all liked and then moved on to looking at who had what meat on sale…b/c that is where the bulk of your money can go…to meat and premade foods. (TIP: A great place to get ideas is the freezer section at the grocery store. If they can make it and freeze it, so can you, but without some of the added “junk” they put in and you can control the nutritional aspects.)

Hint: You can almost always find chicken on sale. If you have a Sam’s or Costco card, just as good!!

You will need to dedicate an entire day to this (and maybe even a little bit the next day…depending on what you cook.)

When I first started, I split boneless skinless chicken (usually breasts, but I hear thighs are good too and usually at a good price…I’m using them this time, so we will see) between three different crock pots. I know what you are thinking and YES…I have 3 and I use them ALL, all the time! (TIP: you do know that the size of your crock pot has an effect on how your food cooks, right?)

Anyway, I did one with chicken, jane’s crazy mixed up salt/pepper/onion powder/garlic powder/chicken bullion cubes (Plain Chicken.)

The next pot had chicken, BBQ sauce and coke (BBQ chicken).

The last had chicken, salsa and a little taco seasoning (Salsa Chicken).

From these 3 pots, I can make all kinds of things (b/c isn’t remembering to thaw meat and then cooking it the most time consuming process??)

First I shred it all, then proportion it into freezer bags and label it for what I want to use it for. Examples:

Plain Chicken—almost every casserole calls for 2 cups shredded chicken, so put that much (or however much you want) into Ziploc bags. You defrost it in the microwave on high for5-7 minutes. While that’s doing its thing, mix together your other ingredients and your casserole is ready to cook and in the oven super quick. Usually 30 minutes later, supper is on the table!

TIP: You can also make casseroles ahead of time, but that’s for a later discussion!
BBQ chicken--(just defrost/heat in the microwave, add in a little extra sauce or thaw in fridge while gone during the day, put it in a casserole dish with extra sauce, cover with aluminum foil, heat on 350 until warmed through.)

BBQ chicken tacos--heat the same way as above, but serve in a soft tortilla topped with corn and cheese (slaw or lettuce if wanted)

BBQ chicken Pizza—heat as above; spread BBQ sauce on a pita, top with chicken, red onion, bacon crumbles and cheese—something with cheddar is my favorite.

Salsa Chicken—if it’s Mexican in nature, you can use this! Quesadillas, Mexican casseroles, tacos, chicken chili, just Salsa chicken over rice…anything.

Next up…ground beef/turkey. First of all, I put carrots/onions/bell peppers in the food processor and add it into all of my ground beef/turkey (which we pretty much always use turkey—93/7—b/c they can’t tell the difference in taste and it’s actually cheaper per lb. This will bulk up your meats, add flavor and sneak in some veggies at the same time.

Ideas: Meatloaf (recipes/flavors are endless here) and hamburger patties (keep raw when freezing both of these), sloppy joes, tacos, veggie-beef soup, chili, taco soup, spaghetti sauce, really anything you can add hamburger meat to, brown it…cool it…freeze it. Thaw in the microwave or the fridge…cook to your heart’s content.
I’ve also done pork loin/chops/boston butt. I don’t cook those ahead of time, but I have pre-seasoned them. I just thaw in the fridge and then cook as usual.
Sides: Mac-n-cheese (the homemade kind) hashbrown casserole, twice baked potatoes are things that I’m pretty sure make a bunch and freeze well. I haven’t tried anything else, but feel free to let me know if you do! Sides are the easy part for me usually.

So, how else do I get started??

LISTS.

If you aren’t a list maker, this probably will never be your thing. It requires planning and a good bit of it, but once you do it a few times, you’ll figure it out. The first time you do it, you’ll think you are spending more than usual, but I promise it will even out within a couple of months. Look for the sales. I do NOT go to several stores rounding up stuff. I usually shop at Walmart, Kroger, Sam’s or Publix. I just check ahead of time. If you have a local chain that you like, ask your butcher what day the mark meat down. It’s usually a certain day of the week and it’s usually a few days before the “sell by” date.

Every month I print out a blank monthly calendar. I sit down and decide what we want for supper as the main dish. (I make out my bulk meat list from that…including what seasonings or sauces I’ll need for whatever I’m making.) After that I add in the sides (which is where my weekly or bi-weekly shopping comes in). People, I own my OCD-ness…but I’m telling you, it helps.

I take my job as the house manager seriously. It’s my job to feed us, which it’s my job to be thoughtful about the nutrition as well as the money we spend on it…not to mention the time management that comes into play with it as well. I spent too long wasting money on guess work, sometimes over-buying, lots of times having to go back more than once a week (which sometimes I still do…I’m still learning).

Alright, you’ve decided to do this.

You’ve made a running list of things you like.

You’ve written out a calendar of the meals you’d like to have (INCLUDING SOME MUCH NEEDED OUT TO EAT BREAKS FOR THE HARD WORKING/COOKING MAMA!!)

You’ve made your bulk shopping list.

Time to shop…If you have crock pots, get the crock pot liners!! You won’t be sorry…and don’t forget the freezer bags! If it’s something “saucy” I double bag, just in case of leaks when thawing. Plus, if you thaw in the fridge, you won’t stink up everything. (I hate it when that happens!) I usually use quart and gallon size. Some will be reusable…some will not. It’s not something I get hung up on, for now. (Also, if you have a Kroger in your area, they have the disposable aluminum tins that have the flat tops on them. Most places have no top or the plastic one that wastes at least an inch of space. I find the flat top kind to be most useful for casseroles/sides.)

Time to cook…start with a clean kitchen. You are GONNA MAKE A MESS…A BIG’UN!! Just accept it.

I figure out how I’m cooking my chicken first (because I always do it in crock pots! The meat gets more tender, plus, I strain and use the broth for soups.) When that is decided and doing its thing, that frees me up to take care of the other prep that I need to do with the pork/ground beef/veggies or whatever.

TIPS: Use the internet. Look for other people who do this. Look for recipes. Take short cuts where you can. I don’t like the tediousness of doing my own meatballs, so I buy them already cooked. I have found that if I grill meat ahead of time, that for whatever reason, it doesn’t seem like it tastes the same after it’s been refrigerated…so any grilling I do, it’s for eating then, or I let Tyson do the work.

I’m not particularly good at couponing, I try…but I look for stuff we use, brands we like, and when Publix puts something on BOGO…I use it then or at Kroger. After doing all of this, I just don’t have the brain strength sometimes, haha!
Things you can make in bulk and freeze:

Breakfast: pancakes/waffles/muffins/ham-egg-cheese cups (I’ve seen, but haven’t tried), I’m sure there are more, but we aren’t huge breakfast eaters. We’re good with cereal, muffins and pop-tarts!

Suppers we like: enchiladas, tacos, spaghetti, quiche, meatloaf, meatballs, BBQ, sloppy joes, chicken fingers/nuggets, fish/shrimp, soups, pork chops/loin, hamburgers, hotdogs, ham, roast, lasagna, breakfast…
Well, you get it. Not all of us like everything, but we make it and serve it and that’s it.

Doing it this way has saved my sanity and our budget for sure. Lots of times we have left overs, stretching what I’ve made even more.

If you have a friend, you can even trade meals!

I’ll try to get around to posting more recipes soon. Click here for the first time I did this. We also have some quick stuff on hand that I didn’t list here, but I can be more detailed if requested. If you see something in my freezer right now that you’d like to try, let me know and I’ll send the recipe along to you! Or if you want my blank calendar forms, I can send those, too. Just shoot me an email…btuckerrn@gmail.com Here are a few other websites to get you started:

Freezer Friendz
Once a Month Mom

Thanks for the interest and happy freezing!

a month's worth of cooking...again

2011-08-15T12:40:00.003-05:00

in addition to getting ready for school to start, i've been otherwise busy. I'll be back with first day of school pictures as well as some recipes, if you want them!

cooperation...

2011-08-10T20:49:00.011-05:00

every day...

we woke up...

and went to the beach...

and played in the sand...

and when we were tired...

we went to the pool...

and then after lunch and rest time...

we did it all again...

vacation officially rocked this year!

we are here...

2011-07-31T22:28:00.001-05:00

see ya on the flip side!

Tucker House Rules

2011-07-26T10:09:00.002-05:00

Ally Claire is Three!!

2011-07-25T10:04:00.008-05:00

so, waaaaaaay back on June 10th, Ally Claire turned 3! So hard to believe! Time sure has flown for this little girl who's not so little anymore! I wanted Micah to post the NICU videos, but we just haven't had time to get around to it. Maybe next year. In the mean time...

We decorated (even though we didn't have a party).

She wanted "pank" cupcakes...and she got them, along with her requested supper of cinnamon rolls.

She got a new princess bike (and I don't have a picture of that for some reason).

Ally Claire, I love you so much it pure hurts, little girl! You have a head full of wavy hair and could care less if it's all in your face or not. Otherwise, you are the epitome of all things girly. You adore dresses, dressing up, high heels, purses, "jewels", and "Pitty tip toes". You will NOT be seen without your toe nails painted.

I don't think they have been bare for the last two years, to be honest. I painted them for the first time before going to the beach two summers ago! Your brothers are your best friends and worst enemies, but they love you just as much. (You are able to get them to play house, school and costume party.) You are a big daddy's girl, but love time with me, too. We had a blast this summer at camp, just us girls! You are braver in the pool this summer, paddling everywhere in your float. Your best friend is Jackson and you love church day! Unfortunately, you also like to call your brothers names and work the word "butt" into nearly everything you say. Some favorites these days are "chicken noodle weenie head" and "booty butt". I have no idea...

You are a delight, full of sweetness and sass in equal measure. I can't wait to see how you grow this year!

i have no idea...

2011-06-22T23:53:00.003-05:00

within the last two days seth has said some funny stuff. here is your laugh to get you through the end of the week. warning, you may never look at intimate apparel the same way again.

while walking through walmart, we pass the ladies undergarments. while spotting a padded bra...wait...get the image in your head...he says:

"Hey Mama, what is that?"

i keep on strolling, not thinking twice about it. "It's a bra, Seth." To which he replies:

"Oh, like you could wear it on your face while you mow the grass?"

i had to stop the buggy and lean over on the bar i was laughing so hard. You see, Micah has terrible allergies and wears a mask that looks like this while he mows...so...you get it.

I've also been working on trying to write down some House Rules, some sort of physical reminder of how we should act and how we should help (more to come on that later.) so after church tonight i asked the kids what they thought the house rules were. the one they had to learn the hard way today was "keep your hands to yourself." i knew that one was coming. then seth said:

"and no kicking...except if you are wrestling or doing karate on each other."

clearly he gets it.

after a few minutes had passed they were telling the same mind-numbing joke over and over so it was obviously time for the quiet game (which i'm sure luke would like for me to tell you that he always wins.) after a minute or two of being quiet (and constantly reminding sissy what quiet actually means), seth apparently had something really important to say because he whispered,

"Hey Mama, can we pause this game for a minute?"

seriously...it's why i keep him around.

summer time tip

2011-06-20T17:10:00.003-05:00

take those paper bathroom cups that your kids use and snip a little hole in the bottom and trim the sides down by 1/2-1/3. stick a popsicle through it and you'll avoid a ton of mess and stickiness!

summer time!!

2011-06-08T10:38:00.004-05:00

i know y'all are getting used to my gaps in blog time (something i never intended) but i guess i also never intended to be this overwhelmed in motherhood. on sunday morning, our class teacher reminded us that our first area for mission work started in our very own homes. i don't know about y'all, but some ~~a lot~~ of days, i'm thinking that going out into all the world would be much easier. you hear what i'm sayin'?

i am so very glad that it's summer time because we aren't bound to a schedule every week. i actually only have 3 weeks where something specific is planned and the rest is up to us. there is always something funny coming out of one of their little ~~usually smart~~ mouths (see my facebook page for frequent updates on that front.) speaking of...i have been stopped a lot recently with people telling me that they love my status updates. i'm not sure how to feel about it. maybe they tell me that b/c i'm brave enough to keep it real? i don't know. my kids aren't perfect and i definitely don't try to only capture and relay the moments when they can be. i'm just a mom, trying my hardest, and failing every day and as seth would probably tell you, failing in a lot of ways, to get these little ~~monsters~~ humans to at least act like they are the species that i am. (seth is a complainer by nature. he's 5 and he's rotten. i'm apparently doing him an injustice by cooking fresh food every night...more on sunday's stand off later.)

so, all that to say this...we have been busy the last couple of weeks graduating from 1st grade, losing more teeth, playing baseball in 100 degree heat, throwing up b/c of it, making out summer fun charts, splashing in a blow up pool, counting down the days until the beach ~~and i am counting down the days to school starting~~, baseball parties, bike riding, morning walks, hitting, crying, ~~facebooking for sanity~~...you know...the usual.

i hope to report more frequently about all the fun things we want to do this summer, but for real moments, you know where you can look. my status updates frequently. it's cheaper than therapy.

kindergarten or bust

2011-05-26T21:23:00.003-05:00

this little turkey is moving on to kindergarten! hard to believe. his teachers always tell me how sweet he is and i'm so thankful that they do (b/c that is NOT always the case at home!) i can't wait to see what he can do in "big school" this next year. i hope he is kind and takes the opportunity to reach out to others who might not make friends as easily as this kid who has almost never known a stranger. we were surprised and proud when his MMO director asked if he would lead the opening prayer at their end of the year program. she said he always says the sweetest ones and that does a mama's heart real good, y'all! we love you bubby!!

who needs wendy's?

2011-05-16T12:25:00.004-05:00

peeps, it needs to be known that i absolutely adore most any kind of asian chicken salad. it's basically all i order anytime to go to applebee's and what i always used to get when the hubs wanted a chicken sandwich from wendy's (although the ones i make at home have way less fat...but whatevs. sometimes you just want the goodness, ya know?) anyway...sometime this last year, wendy's became dead to me when they REPLACED their oriental/asian/mandarin...whatever...chicken salad with the apple something or other salad. SO WRONG. i have been on the quest to make it the same way at home...the problem was that i couldn't find the dressing. and the dressing makes a lot of salads. especially if they are...we'll say "themed". today, i have achieved my goal. the mission is complete! it probably could have been done easier, but today is when the missing ingredient finally made it what i wanted it to be. the dressing needed a little bit of honey. i'm not a honey eater, so it was escaping me...until now!

so...if you ever liked the wendy's salad...here's what you need:

Lettuce (today i used what i had, which was butter lettuce)
1 Grilled Chicken Breast, diced or sliced (i used the pre-cooked frozen ones that i get at walmart and keep on hand alllllllll the time.)
Mandarin Oranges
Sliced Almonds (i used the Almond Accents roasted version)
Chow Mein Noodles
Publix brand Roasted Asian Sesame salad dressing
A Squeeze of Honey

layer as listed. mix a little bit of honey into your dressing and coat thoroughly. love it! a perfect summertime salad. you are welcome.

if anyone is actually still around to read this nonsense, i thank you. Real life is insane, as i'm sure it is for all of you. But we are wrapping up the school year/sports season, so I should have time to catch up soon!

103 hours

2011-05-02T11:19:00.002-05:00

that is how long we were without power after what is reported to be the second deadliest tornado system in u.s. history ripped though our area on wednesday. i don't have pictures of the distruction as you couldn't get down into the effected (affected? i never know) areas unless you were there to clean. i haven't been down to help yet as i was more worried about making sure my kids were clothed and fed. but i really hope to soon. several families reached out to us and we are so very thankful to them for providing us a place to take a warm shower, wash a couple of loads of clothes and a warm meal. we kept our phones charged either by being in the car when we were out and about or at the church building.

luke has been out of school since wednesday and we won't know when they will go back as of yet. for sure they are still out tomorrow. the area damaged near our house (about 4 miles south to north east) cut through both routes we could take to get luke to school. we haven't been over that way since thursday, so i'm not sure what has happened there since then.

we were so very lucky that we only had one large tree down on our fence (which i posted to facebook). otherwise, we were completely fine (well, minus the power thing, but that really is so insignificant.)

our song leader from church lost their home, but fortunately the Lord protected them in their storm shelter during the 10 seconds that it pummeled everything around them.

i hope that you will continue to pray for the residents of middle/north alabama (and anyone else that was in the path) of this viscious storm. so many homes and businesses are still without power and so much else. this is a video that was put together by some of the men at our church of the efforts that have been going on out in our community.

a month ago...

2011-04-04T08:53:00.005-05:00

...i cooked for a day and we ate for a month. (and now for some reason that chinese proverb about teaching a man to fish is coming to mind.) you'll need to click to see any detail on that pic, by the way. anyway, i used everything from last month except for 1 bag of spaghetti sauce mix, 1 bag of sloppy joe mix and a few of the tacos. several of you have asked how it went, so i thought i'd post my menu calendar for you. (yes, i know it's much more entertaining than telling you about ally claire having cut her own hair--you saw those facebook pics, right? and i still haven't posted pics from going to the circus, but maybe i'll do that when i give you the movie review at the end of the month when i go see my boyfriend in Water for Elephants--which is an awesome book, btw. read it!)

ok...so...

i had to plan around 6 baseball practices a week, and both of them practicing on friday nights, meaning that there were several times that we ate in shifts, and every friday night was pizza night...so just keep that in mind. also, my kids are picky eaters, but they did awesome this month and i'm very proud of them. i'm hoping with the summer coming that we can incorporate more variety to the veggie situation. i didn't always list the sides in the menu you see, either, but you get the gist of it.

a few things i learned...

1.) if you are going to have anything saucy...DOUBLE BAG! it prevents spills and also when you thaw it in your fridge...the whole thing doesn't smell like sloppy joes or mexican chicken.

2.) write that menu out in pencil. some nights you are just not feelin' what you planned. but since you have tons to choose from, just go right ahead and pull a switcheroo. no one will know ~~except for your kids who can read and are on TOP of what's on the menu~~. for instance, you see on the 29th when it said we had turkey burgers? we didn't. i just forgot to change that. that was a practice night, as well as my birthday, so i called an audible and we ate chinese. it was in the budget and besides, who wants to wash dishes on their *coughthirtythirdcough* birthday?

3.) keep a running inventory list. a must when weekly menu planning. i only make my menu a week at a time. i'm sure it may seem odd to you to make my weekly menu after i've cooked a month's worth...meaning i should make out the menu and then cook accordingly. but for me, it works to have the basics done so that i can mix and match and rearrange as we go. i mean, who knew that luke loved BBQ chicken?

4.) keep easy things around so that you don't automatically run out for something else. not every single meal has to be homemade. i mean, doesn't your hubs or your kids usually wind up ordering chicken fingers when going out to eat? haven't you snuck (is that a word?) back to the deli at Walmart and doled out that cup of popcorn chicken so that you could shop in peace? (sorry...we like chicken.) buy a bag for quickness. you know that even if you don't want to take the time to grill your own chicken breasts or hamburger patties that they sell bags already done up for you? just microwave to your little hearts content and jazz it up a little. those little bags of Idahoan mashed potatoes that come in five hundred flavors...best thing/time saver EVAH! don't even get me started on those steamfresh veggies.

5.) give it a try. you never know unless you try. i'm not sure that we saved any grocery money this month, but we did awesome on the out to eat budget fo sho! this month i will concentrate on the grocery budget to see how i'm doing. i'm visual and i like to see a list in one place. my goal is to save, of course, but at least not to go over. at the moment, i don't have time to run all over creation to every sale, or the storage room to take advantage of much stocking up, so i have to concentrate on what we need at the moment and finding the best deal i can within 2 stores (caue gas is SKY high and it better be a good sale for me to drive 20 miles one way to the Kroger. I'm just sayin'. oh, and did y'all hear that you can't stack coupons there anymore?)

anyway...that's it for now. today was supposed to be cooking day again, but school just released early, meaning there is a tornado warning or something like that, so i have an extra kid today...and the power may go out. at least i have something already planned for supper tonight!

purdy...

2011-03-23T16:17:00.001-05:00

one less wheel spinning

2011-03-11T10:53:00.002-06:00

hi sisters!! (cause i don't think the men-folk, other than my hubs, read this.) so i am nearing the end of the second week of enjoying the ease that was brought on by my epic cooking day. several of you have asked how it's been going, so i'm here to report.

first off, we'll address the OCD/list maker tendencies that i have. i'm not proud. a few years ago i found a weekly menu form (breakfast/lunch/supper) on the Cheap Cooking website that i use to plan out our menus every single week. now, before you think i'm a good mom, let me preface this by saying i'm not a breakfast cooker, so that column looks something along the lines of pop-tarts every other day (because my kids would eat them every day if i'd let them) alternating with something else (usually cereal or muffins or cereal bars.) i'm not really a breakfast eater and they are way picky, so...ya know. lunches vary as well. luke has his own lunch menu schedule (which helps micah, who is the one who packs it) and the other two kids usually eat hotdogs or sandwiches and me, just whatever i can find. (that is also an area i need to reign in a little better.) next, i printed out a blank march calendar from my microsoft program. (we typically have a copy or two lying around somewhere because with having kids who refuse to share, we put everything except the toilet on a rotation schedule. forced sharing is total win, justsoyaknow.) Then I sat down with my inventory list and tried to make the best mix/rotation of foods that i could, and still accomodate the baseball schedule. (is it any wonder i am #1. insane, #2. unreachable by phone, and #3. completely out of touch with what is going on in my friends' lives.--Hey Lindsey! I didn't know you moved or that you were homeschooling!--Hey Darby! Thanks for the book rec of The Mission of Motherhood. It's the first book that i paid for on my Kindle.--Hey Tara M.! Thanks for the info on "farm shopping.")

ok, where was i? oh yes, under a mound of lists. see, i like to be able to see everything at a glance. I also like variety, so having an inventory list, a master monthly menu and then a weekly one (for general grocery shopping and so that the kids know what we're having) works well for me. it really is organized chaos. I'd let micah take a picture of me doing this, but i'm fairly certain that i don't actually show up on film. so, in my week, i do plan an out to eat meal once a week. i thought about doing sunday lunch, and occasionally we will, but i'm thinking that it may vary between saturday night and sunday. still working on what works best for us on that one. there have been some days that i had my menu all planned out and then that day, i just wasnt' feelin' it. the good thing is that it didn't matter. i had several other things that i could choose from b/c they were already waiting for me in my freezer. problem solved and it didn't come down to a last minute, "let's just go pick something up."

i still have plenty in my inventory for the moment. this is a pay week, so i'm going to pick up some ground hamburger/turkey and make and grill some hamburgers and then freeze them. i mean, they sell them already cooked in the freezer section. surely i can do it and make them healthier, right?

another thing i might suggest is browsing some of the menu planning sites that are out there and giving one of their 3-month subscriptions a try. they usually give you a shopping list and a prep list along with the menu suggestions so that it takes the guess work right out of it. If nothing else, it will give you a few items to add to your repertoire that you may not have had or thought of before. it helps break me out of the cooking the same ole thing every week or two rut. try e-mealz or 5Dinners1Hour.

thanks for the interest while i get it figured out. any mom on the go should give it a try for sure!

oh, question for my SAHM friends...if you had a job outside of the home before you had kids and now stay at home, do you ever plan on working outside of the home at a later time? i'm just curious.

the day i cooked

2011-03-02T11:11:00.007-06:00

first of all, it took 3 tries to upload these pics, this top one especially. so i would adore it if you'd take the time to click on the top and bottom one as they have details.
now...on with it...
last time at five mockingbirds, the mama bird was ranting a little bit, she noticed, as she read back over what she wrote...after posting it.
meh
who cares?
anyway, i spent my friday researching, folks. i read blogs and took suggestions tried to come up with some sort of plan. a dear friend of mine from my childhood actually does the once a month cooking with a friend of hers so i can't wait to get some recipes from her. until then, i took some pointers about freezing.

let me start by saying this. while i surely am not one that has anything against anything generic...there are sometimes you need to spring for name brand. i hear that is the case with freezer bags (if you don't have one of those food saver things.) and i also hear double bagging is a must on some things. we will see and report back later on that.

so...after getting an idea of what i wanted to freeze this first go 'round, i made my list and set out to buy my meats. let me just go on record as saying this...i am starting this at a particularly insane time in our lives. i mentioned the baseball practice, right?? well, the need for something quick that we could eat after 7 on those nights was really what dictated what i chose this month. there are basically 2 weeknights that i'll be able to cook what i call a "real meal". you'll see what i mean.

folks, i headed out to walmart on a friday night, ~~because i'm an idiot~~ even though i know better. i didn't want to drive to sam's and i at least took the time to look at the publix and kroger ads to know that there wasn't anything i would be missing out on with meat deals.

y'all, they had boneless/skinless chicken breasts for 1.78 a lb. i admit that i ~~have totally neglected~~ haven't been good about comparison shopping and couponing ~~for the last year~~ lately because time is precious and i just wanna snatch and go. however, in my awakening, i'm going to be smarter than that. it's part of my job as house manager, right? (i'm assuming the only thing that hasn't gotten me fired as of yet is the fact that i can cook well and am kinda funny...sometimes.) anyway...people, i left there with 12.5 lbs of chicken and 6 lbs of ground beef. now, normally i don't buy the ground beef. i buy the ground turkey b/c it's cheaper and b/c i feel like it's healthier, but they didn't have it (fresh). like i said, this was sort of spur of the moment. i'll plan better next time.

i got my meat and a few other ingredients home to plan out what i'd be cooking the next day. micah would be gone a few hours doing field clean up and otherwise it was our last free saturday until the end of may. it was do or die. (i'd like to take this time to mention that i nearly died in the doing...but it was done and i'm glad i did it!)

the next morning, i realized that i forgot the veggies that i was going to add to the ground beef to bulk up our good-for-you-foods-but-the-kids-won't-eat quotient. i also needed to finish off the grocery shopping (which i never do with the kids ~~unless someone is holding a gun to my head~~) at some point and i figured since i'd already be there...

decisions...decisions...

i looked at the three kids. i said a prayer. i grabbed a sippy cup. i slapped a pull-up on the sis (just in case 'cause i WAS NOT stopping in the middle of publix to take her to the potty, but i didn't want an accident either. she's good and trained now thankyouverymuch) begged the boys not to fight, and set out to finish up so that i could get home and get to cooking.

three kids club cookies, 3 boxes of barnum and bailey's animal crackers, a bottle of water and some money saved later...we were home. i only had to say "get out of the middle of the aisle" and "if you touch anything else i'm going to cut your hand off" and "don't even look at those toys" 100 times. so about two-thirds less than i normally do. not bad.

finally, at 1100...i started cooking (which included lunch preparation.) i'd also like to go on record as saying that you should make sure your kitchen is clean and all superfluous dishes are put away before starting. i was armed with my ziploc bags and my aluminum foil and my sharpie marker and my 3 crock pots and my food processor and i was ready to go.

and i call these meal starters, by the way. cause you'll need to add to it, but for me the hard part is in remembering to get meat out and thaw it or "what else can i possibly make with this lb of chicken?" so, in one pot i put chicken, salsa and fajita mix. in another, chicken, bbq sauce and a little DP, and in another i put just chicken that i seasoned with house seasoning (salt, pepper, onion & garlic powder). oh, and i rinsed and defatted alllll of that ahead of time.) for the ground beef, i mixed 2 lbs with taco seasoning, corn and black beans. the other 4 lbs i mixed with carrots, bell peppers and onion that i chopped in the food processor. 3 lbs went towards spaghetti stuff and the other one towards meatloaf fixings. (i should have done some plain...but hey, next time. trial and error.) i also bought those little sweet rolls, you know the rectangle kind in the little aluminum pan that people put ham and cheese in and cook them for baby showers and pot lucks at church and the like? well, i bought those and made some for lunch that day and then just put the ham and cheese inside (no sauce) of another batch and have frozen those. i'll let you know how they turn out. i also had a few other ideas of things i already had to add into the mix.

i started around 1100 and finished around 5pm. that also included some dish washing time in there as well. so far this week i haven't once said, "let's just go grab something." and that is one of the main purposes to this whole thing. saving time and waist and money. trust me when i tell you that if i can do it, anyone can. next week i'll give you the menu...weekly and hopefully the month at a glance.
like i said, click on the pictures to make them bigger to see how things got divvied up and for my comments on what the kitchen looked like afterwards!!

an awakening...i hope

2011-02-25T11:45:00.002-06:00

do y'all ever just get stuck? i mean, so stuck in your daily routine, that you are certain works just fine for you, thankyouverymuch, that you don't even think that it is possible that you could do anything else and it work just as well, or probably even better?

folks, the tucker's are a busy folk. we never used to be and this mama is so not used to it. i was glad when ally claire came along b/c i was done with the baby havin' and ready to get on with the baby raisin'. and i say that b/c as soon as we got on up and going and a tiny bit independant, lo and behold, another one would come along. babies change things. they change them for the good, for sure, but they are so hard on control freaks and undiagnosed OCDers ~~like me~~. i love every one of them to tiny little bits, but even after over seven years of being a mom, I don't think i've taken the time to adapt as i should have.

i don't take time for myself, and when i do, it's usually being lazy instead of being "uninterruptedly productive". the week that micah was out of town, i had to do everything myself. THAT EVEN MEANS TAKING OUT THE GARBAGE, Y'ALL! what woman that doesn't have to do that...does that? not i, said the little red hen. i'm not proud, but i'm kinda lazy. i loathe exercise with the intensity of a thousand hells. i don't have the luxury of time to go to a gym, and probably not the money. when my kids are all in school...possibly. but not now. right now, we are about to start having 6 baseball practices per week between the 2 boys for the month of march. i have no idea what will happen when games start in april.

last year, that meant more fast food. this year, i just can't do it. i cannot spend that kind of money on fat and convenience. and so that leads me to my awakening. mama needs to smarten up. it's time to get off of my hiney. it's time to get organized and be a better family manager. i'm failing my employees (cause those boys have chores, y'all. and we pay top dollar...2 dollars a week to be exact. what? that's good. they make the bed, put their dirty clothes in the laundry, wipe the table and sweep up crumbs.) i waste hours a day and sometimes still don't manage to get anything healthy on the table. it's my goal to make it just as convenient (and definitely healthier) to grab something that i have cooked ahead from the freezer than to drive to town to pick something up.

i have been taking time this morning to get ideas of what "freezes beautifully" (and if you can tell me what movie that phrase is from, we can continue to be BFFs). I grocery shop every week, but my goal is to do what i can in bulk ahead of time so that most suppers can be easy. i don't have a friend closeby to do this with, so general encouragement is completely accepted, as well as ideas. i patrolled the aisles of the freezer department to get ideas and while some convenience foods will remain (cause i ain't crazy), i want to cut out what i can.

now...while i totally think that (the cooking) it is something i can tackle in the next couple of months...the exercising...SIGHS. i don't know how else to say it. i'm gonna have to get up early. i'm talkin' 6:30!! (don't laugh you people who get up at quarter past a rooster's crack. if you know me at all, you know that i'd take a night job at the hospital before the day shift ANY DAY b/c of that getting up early stuff.) i mean, i got up at that time for a jillion years BC (before children). i'll have to retrain myself. my attitude is so lacking at that time of day, but if i want time to get it done, that's it. i'm too tired at night. for now, i still have 2 kids at home most of the day every day. in the fall, my schedule will change again when...wait for it...drum roll please...SETH STARTS KINDERGARTEN!!!!! so he and luke will be at the same school...all day...everyday! what will I do with just me and the sis (who will go to MMO one day a week)?

I don't know kids, but i hope to be more firmly grounded in a healthier, more organized and balanced lifestyle that I am currently in. you'll put on your best polyester and cheer for me, right?

since last we spoke...

2011-01-28T08:53:00.008-06:00

we had a white Christmas

and then we got SEVEN inches of snow

so instead of a "snow day"...

we had a "snow week"

and a little girl is now paci-free and potty trained

ten years ago today...

2010-12-16T14:10:00.003-06:00

I married my best friend. Somehow, after ten years, three kids, one house (that may or may not ever sell) two dogs, five cars, eight surgeries, one NICU stay, tens of thousands of diapers and days when we wondered if, surely, we were insane, there have been many more days and years of nothing but sheer wedded bliss. How bout we go for 60 more? I'm game. I love you so much it's stupid and am so glad you are my best good friend. You are the peanut butter to my chocolate and that is mighty high praise!

on the hunt

2010-11-22T10:13:00.003-06:00

today, i'm on the hunt for a water bath. a what? a water bath. that's what i said. wanna know why? b/c this precious little thang that we all know and love posted a recipe for apple butter last year and danggit imma make it tomorrow. problem...i gotta get one of those there water bath thingies. in the off season.

looks can be deceiving

2010-11-21T16:09:00.002-06:00

so i haven't been a real regular in the updates. mostly that has to do with the absolute pain i get in my left eye when it comes to fighting and eternal waiting for my pics to post. i figure you wanna see cute kids, not listen to me drone. so i changed my layout...trying to update and whatnot...it's a little busy, but so am i.

This was Halloween...

2010-11-03T13:23:00.000-05:00

get felt up

2010-10-01T08:30:00.004-05:00

it's that time of year again. the one where i tell you to grab a loved one or at least don't be shy and grab yourself. october is breast cancer awareness month. it's time to save the ta-tas folks. my meemaw died of breast cancer, but fortunately she didn't suffer. unfortunately, it was too late. tell all the women you know (and even the boys b/c they can get it too.)

love 'em.

squish em.

save 'em.

thankful thursday

2010-09-23T08:17:00.000-05:00

Thank you will never be enough to say for all of the prayers and thoughts and words you have sent up for me and for the Griffies family.
I'm thankful for:

laundry, dirty dishes and piles of toys
getting to be here to take care of all of those things
my hubs whom I adore. everything about that man makes me giddy and lovesick today
a God who gives us a home in Heaven and gives me another day to try to 'get it right'
curly red hair, straight copper penny hair, and curly golden brown hair and the heads all of that hair resides on. i'll sniff it and run my fingers through it every day.
friends who pray for you and for families they don't know
that i knew susan. she was a good friend, a wonderful wife, mom and Christian. she was also a wicked prankster! there are too many laughs to count.

no words

2010-09-22T11:37:00.002-05:00

susan was a wonderful Christian, wife, mom and friend. God, wrap your arms around the three angels she has left behind to find her home with you. no words will ever bring them complete comfort. only You can be their solace.

URGENT PRAYERS NEEDED!!

2010-09-21T16:57:00.005-05:00

susan and claire

tony and jonah

i have a friend from college who underwent a surgery today on her brain. i'm thinking she was going to have angioplasty. there was supposed to be a really low incidence of complications. however, a friend from troy called to let me know that susan has had a stroke. she called a few minutes ago to let me know that they have taken her back into emergency surgery because she is having swelling in her brain and they need to relieve the pressure.
Update: The docs are having difficulty getting Susans BP stable. She does have increasing pressure in her brain and they don't know why. They are considering putting a drain in. The CT results will be in an hour to an hour and a half. With ...the blood thinners she has been on prior to today, all this is "tricky."Her Doc said he "does not like what he is seeing." Tony is hanging in
there but we DESPERATELY need your prayers.

this couple is awesome. tony was micah's roommate at the christian student center. we were very close. they struggled with infertility for years. we prayed for them fervently during those years. they now have twins that are basically 8 months older than ally claire. they are actually some of the first people we told about her (it was when they called to tell us the twins were born.)

please please please pray for susan and tony. she is young and healthy, so has that in her favor. but she is extremely critical right now. you can find her blog on my blog listed as susan. here is a snippet of the background on her issue.

I have been having numbness/tingling in my fingers on my right hand for a while. The doctor thought it was carpal tunnel. I had a couple of times when my whole right side went numb so he finally sent me for an MRI and then an MRA when the MRI showed something going on in my left middle cerebral artery. With the MRA, they found some narrowing of that artery that was causing TIAs. 2 neurologists later they have decided to send me to a neurosurgeon in Tampa at USF (September 2). He will decide whether to do an angiography to determine the severity of the narrowing and decide where to go from there. In the meantime, I am on a full dose of aspirin, Plavix (blood thinners), and Crestor (my cholesterol was high last time they checked). I haven't had any symptoms since I was put on these lovely drugs (I was having symptoms a few times a week before that).

buying time rewind

2010-09-08T16:16:00.003-05:00

i posted this before, but in my crazy life, sometimes i just don't even know what to say. i am lucky to have a complete thought most days. we have 3 kids with 2 in soccer, one in 1st grade, one in preschool and one into everything! our house is back up for sale, which isn't all that great considering the state of the housing market right now. but hey, He will provide, right? oh, did i mention that i was asked to be a substitute school nurse? how cool is that? i hope i'm able to do it a few times a month. it would be a seriously awesome way to get my foot in the door for that when all of the kiddos are in school.

so, when you know you need to pray for these little ones, but you're not even sure what to say, here is something you can stick on your fridge when you are fixing the umteenth sippy cup of the day or standing there by your microwave cutting those hotdogs into itty bitty bits.

it's a calendar for praying for your kids.

ps--if you'll notice the date, i started this post 2 days ago. who wants to tell me an easier way to get my pics to upload to this piece of you know what?

it's about that time of year...

2010-09-02T10:49:00.005-05:00

still to come...the rest of our summer.

summer in review (part 1: AC's bday)

2010-08-02T12:03:00.017-05:00

i started this post august 2nd. it's now the 13th. do the math folks. as per usual...blogger fail with picture uploading. i have been a complete loser in posting since...we'll go with january. i don't know that i have ever let it go a whole month without posting, but now i have. and because of that, i decided i'd just make this one EPIC and HUGE and tell you all about our summer. i'm hoping i can remember our summer, it has been so crazy and i don't tend to have the best memory. hence the reason i started this little blog.
it all started back in june with this little punkin' lovin' right here.

On June 10th, she turned TWO! I have no idea where the time has gone. June 10th is always a little bittersweet for micah and i b/c of her rough start, but God blessed us with a strong (willed), healthy, beautiful angel girl and we have cherished every stinkin' moment with her. She is just so different from the boys. it has been the most fun watching her. she talks a mile a minute (as long as she knows you and is comfortable with you) and i think she actually talks pretty clearly. On her birthday, she went from sleeping in her crib to sleeping in her big girl (toddler) bed.

then she ate her breakfast holding her birthday balloon (cause isn't that how you do it?)

on her actual birthday, we had cupcakes (where instead of trying to blow out the candles, she thought she'd be cool and pinch the flame out...no fear.)

then, she hosted a "tea pahty". they happen daily around here. if you are lucky, you can dress up in fairy wings and plastic heels and a tiara. (brothers, be glad i have opted to keep your future egos in tact by not producing evidence of such dress up demands.)

a few days later, we had a Dora "pahty"...

and JoAnna (and her mom Monica) came to stay the weekend with us...

and we had a bouncy house that even daddy enjoyed...

and we played in the pool...

so, thanks for hangin' in there with me...if anyone still is. and if you are, please leave me a comment b/c this has been aggrevating to say the least. all of these pics were loaded one by one with my fingers crossed. so, at least tell me how cute sissy girl is. and yes, that is what she calls herself...sissy girl. up next, the month of july where we went to tybee island.

bookworm

2010-07-01T10:56:00.002-05:00

a week or so ago, i strolled through books a million during a much needed night time mental break. i had no idea what i was going in there for, but it's rare that i need an excuse or am looking for anything specific. i picked up 4 books for my summer/beach reading. i haven't read a single review as of this posting, so i'm hoping i picked well. i'd love to hear if any of you have read these or if you are interested. click on the link to take you to amazon and you can read the reviews.

Love The One You're With by Emily Giffin
The Same Sweet Girls by Cassandra King
Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson
The Sweet By and By by Todd Johnson

i don't usually make book recommendations, but all of these sounded like good summer reads. i'll be sure to let you know. what i did figure out is that i must have been feeling my roots that night because they are all about southern women or have some tie to the south. what can i say? i love it down here.

Tasty tuesday::peanut butter texas sheet cake

2010-06-21T22:18:00.005-05:00

I found this recipe in the Gooseberry Patch Our Best Quick & Easy Recipes Magazine. "Texas Sheet Cake" is usually chocolaty, fudgy goodness. this is obviously a different twist. and since i am a firm believer that peanut butter is the next best thing to chocolate, i thought i'd give it a try. and i'm glad i did. give it a try!! you won't be sorry!

Peanut Butter Texas Sheet Cake
2 c all purpose flour

1/4 c creamy peanut butter
2 c white sugar

2 eggs beater
1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda

1/2 c buttermilk
1 c butter
1 c water

peanut butter icing (see below)

chopped peanuts for garnish

Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a large bowl and set aside. Combine butter, water and peanut butter and a saucepan over medium heat: bring to a boil. Add to flour mixture and mix well and set aside. Combine eggs, vanilla and buttermilk. Add to flour mixture. Spread batter into a 15x10 jelly roll pan. Bake @ 350 for 25-28 minutes or until cake springs back when gently touched. spread peanut butter icing over warm cake and garnish.

Peanut Butter Icing
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 c + 1 T milk
16 oz powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Combine first 3 ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix until spreading consistency. (careful, it will drip a little over the side of the cake so keep bringing it back to the center.)

yall better leave some comments...

2010-06-09T08:16:00.008-05:00

it's not spectacular and probably doesn't live up to the build up, but i lurve it. i'm not sure how i lived with this insanity for years, but i did.

more ugliness

and AFTAH...

thank you lowes, for MDF and black gloss spray paint.

my hubby built those shelves and even a work table to go on the other side of the 1901 dryer and it hides our hampers/extra laundry baskets.
this was the boys' room before when it was only luke's room. it's the best before paint color i have.

now...it's...living room color. i don't remember what that is, but since the house is back on the market ~~kill me now~~ it was a better choice for touch ups. cause those boys are wild.

now, a few notes...
we have cancelled our trip to gulf shores b/c BP are morons. however, i'm going to see paula over in savannah/tybee island!! we'll be swangin' through atlanta on the way there and on the way back to check out the zoo and acquarium. it should be ~~tiring as all get out~~ fun!!

next, i never did see those stinkin quarters. i checked for 17 days and the docs office told me to consider them passed since the xrays 10 days prior to my last call showed them to be in the large intestine and he has no problems. works for me.

4 letter words

2010-06-08T21:55:00.010-05:00

right now i have about a jillion of them running through my head. me and blogger are at a major war. i have just spent 1.5 hours on a honkin post showing off what i have been working on around here. and do you know that with the touch of one button, not even my hubby could retrieve it? why? b/c it apparently "autosaved" a couple of seconds after that change. people, imma say it loud and proud. i hate with a bunch of bad words blogger. you can see that i had to resort to flickr below just to get one thing shown. if i'm in a good mood, i'll work on it again. however, my baby girl turns 2 on thursday and her dora party is saturday. so in the next few weeks, if blogger will get it's head out of it's hiney (cause this blog is at most PG) i'll try again to show you why i'm so neglectful. anyway, let's just say that i "redid" my shelving/storage in my laundry room, painted the boys room, and have been working on garage organization...oh, and our house is back on the market. (i'll take that valium in the economy pack please, kay?) and i'm just gonna say it...i have a date with edward for the whole stinkin trilogy on june 29th. that may make it a little better. maybe.

cause i like to keep it real

2010-06-08T21:23:00.002-05:00

IMG_2383
Originally uploaded by btuckerrn

if i could get all of these to post together, i would. but i can't. and i hate blogger.

also, if you click on the picture, it will take you to my flickr photostream. you can see what i did to my laundry room and i think i put in a picture of the after of the boys room. it used to be cherry. now it's...um...whatever color the living room is.

sometimes life doesn't just get in the way

2010-06-08T21:22:00.001-05:00

IMG_2382
Originally uploaded by btuckerrn

it straight up attacks you. this is part of the organizing/decluttering i have been doing. i call this the great toy clean out of 2010.

i'm a real mom now...

2010-05-18T21:29:00.004-05:00

hi. i'm seth. and i like to cause a commotion on a regular basis. today, my special trick was to swallow not one, but two quarters! my mama, the nurse...she doesn't tend to be a nurse when it comes to one of us. however, today, she kept her cool...ish. she called the doctor to see what needed to be done since i was breathing, but had thrown up. of course...the answer was to take me to the local children's hospital, that is 40 minutes away. mama was none too happy with the drivers. they don't seem to understand flashing lights on a minivan going 75-80 mph just might indicate an emergency. maybe that's normal driving where we live. who knew? the good or not so good news?? those quarters were already in my intestines. so as the saying goes "this too (or is it two lol) shall pass."

pray for my little bum. i gotta feeling that won't be fun.

on the flip side, my poor brother was freaking out! he was scared they were gonna keep me for a week and he didn't like that idea. huh. who knew? i mean, you remember when this happened? (scroll down to mid post) yeah. good to know my worst enemy is also my best friend.

when it gets out of control...

2010-05-11T14:25:00.002-05:00

i've mentioned my control issues on here before (meaning i may be slightly OCD sometimes). folks, mama is about to go to town on some organization. this year with luke being in school and the boys starting in sports and sister becoming everything that an almost 2 year old is...yeah. it's been a little overwhelming this year. however, with 2 weeks left in school for luke, today being the last day of MMO for seth, and baseball being over in 2 weeks, now is the time for me to pounce. cause did i mention that we are putting our house back on the market? **sighs...**we are. so this means i'm about to go into cleaning and decluttering and organizing overhaul around here. lucky for you, there will be before and after shots. i'll say right now, i will be keeping it real. i mean, really real. you may be "shamed" to be my friend with the before shots. (oh, come on. you all have those closets or those dark corners...or those clothes that have sat in a basket since last week...or month. i know i'm not alone.) so if it seems like i'm going in to hiding again, i'm probably buried under a mountain of clothes, clutter, or kids. you may want to check on me.

upcoming projects:
repurpose coat closet for more storage space
build table and new shelves for laundry room
put together storage units and clean out garage (major dread!!)
sew curtains for boys room
repaing boys' room (another major dread)

do i have volunteers who wanna help?

heartbreaker...

2010-05-05T20:04:00.002-05:00

and it begins...
tonight i saw a little face pop up in my front window that was open from when the boys had been playing out front earlier. i had no clue who this child was. she (you heard me...SHE) knocked on the door and asked if luke could come out to play. i have never seen this child before in my life. he was finishing up supper and i didn't know what to do b/c after supper he was getting ready for church, so he didn't really have time to play. (and she had another friend with her.) i asked who she was and asked luke if he'd at least like to come talk to his friend (who turns out is someone in another kindergarten class from school.) yall, it was weird. no one has asked if my kids could come out to play. but it just seemed crazy that a little girl would come ask. i don't even know where she lives in relation to us or how she knew where luke lived. i seriously felt like i was in the twilight zone (and not the good twilight.)

so, i'm wondering if this is only the beginning. (and i'd like to take this time to send a big one fingered wave to blogger from not letting me post my picture and effectively shutting down my internet so that i have to go unplug everything to restart it. 'preciate ya!!)

seth said...

2010-04-27T14:37:00.002-05:00

i never know what to expect when seth's MMO teacher wants to tell me something seth has said. but i'll go ahead and brag that it's usually good. he is apparently an angel at school. at least his "upbrangin'" is showing somewhere, if not always here. so today, from the tenderhearted copperheaded snake:

one of his little friends had been to the doctor that morning and told seth he had a boo-boo b/c he had his blood drawn. seth, the tenderhearted, patted him on the hand and said "it's ok. i know it hurts. it hurts worse than death."

and on the way home from the same MMO:
we are riding in the car and in a short, but really heavy rain storm that had hail. sister is crying b/c it is so loud and seth had his ears covered.

i said "man. that was rain AND hail. hail is when ice comes out of the sky." (cause my kids know what hell is and i was trying to explain the difference.)
seth said "you know what a commotion is mama? a commotion is a really loud noise and THAT was a commotion!"

yeah. he's been talking that way since before he was 2. just like sister.

luke said...

2010-04-24T15:52:00.002-05:00

from the van:
"hey seth, we were watching this show and the man said 'you're dead meat!' (insert laughs) that means you're meat that's dead."

while playng the wii:
luke chooses the pool game, only it is labeled as billiards. seth says "yea! we are playing pool!!"
luke says "nuh uh...we're playing bill boards!"

see, i should not always be held accountable for the things that come out of my kids mouths.

have a great weekend!

have mercy...

2010-04-23T12:08:00.001-05:00

i just can't even take it...

are you better than me?

2010-04-16T18:24:00.002-05:00

i have a feeling you probably are. this weekend is the weekend that i shall be buried alive under the rubble that is my children's summer clothes. this is what i hate about moving in to new seasons. i have to figure out what of luke's clothes he can still wear, what can be passed down to seth and what each of them lack. and holy moses, i am seriously dreading sister's closet. i am so greatful for hand me downs, but these are the hand me downs that folks want back. and that means i have a good 3 seperate piles to make (and pray that if they didn't label them, that i did!) then buying whatever she lacks. oh, and putting it all away (the worst part i'm sure. i mean, it's why my clean laundry sits in a basket and i just pick out of it during the week. do yall do that? no? it's just me? ok, well whatever you do, don't tell me you put your laundry up the same day. we'll have to break up.)

do any of you know any professional organizers? i used to be good at it. i used to be a little OCD with my cleaning. yes, it was a control thing. when i became outnumbered 4.5 years ago with the kiddos, i had to give up on that dream. what's your best tip? or who wants to come do it for me?

secret weapons

2010-04-07T22:55:00.004-05:00

with as sporadic as i have been on here lately, i may actually be alone as far as an audience goes, but that's ok. i'm a pro at talking to myself. and speakin' of big talkers, the reason for this post is little mister seth jackson.

as i live and breathe, he will be the death of me. i know it. God gave me that little copperhead snake to try to make me crazy. i am a believer. the child has been talking in nearly full sentences since before he was 2. and it just kept getting worse. i'm sure i've mentioned it. but we have a SERIOUS backtalking/attitude issue with this little man. and sometimes, i just run out of options. such was the case this past week. the little man, cute as he is, has been on a serious mouth tirade for about a week and a half with no hope in sight of chillin' it. i didn't want to have to do it, but sometimes a mama has just seriously had enough. i had to call in the big guns. i'm not talkin' taking toys away. i'm not talking time outs or spankings or anything like that. yall, i had to call POP. for those of you not in the know, pop is my dad. he and seth are like peas and carrots. there isn't anyone better in my little sethy's eyes (and it may be that way for pop, even though i'm sure he loves all 5 the same. but they have a special bond for sure.) but i had to do it. i warned him. i told him that if he couldn't cool it i would call pop and let him know how ugly his mouth had been. i met my breaking point after MMO on tuesday when he had not been the car 30 minutes before he was all attitudinal. pop was in tampa on business. i didn't seem to care. but i'll tell you this...i haven't heard a word from him today. pop let him know that he was disappointed that seth had broken his promise to be good and that if he didn't get it turned around, he wouldn't get to come to his house when school is out (and this is a big deal b/c he has never been without us...and i'm ALLLLL for it!!) don't get me wrong, my sethy is a tender hearted little fella. he can put out some crocodile tears when you sit him down to talk to him (which he did with about 3 words from pop.) but man...

i'm tellin' ya...i am certainly not against having a secret weapon and using it. the key is not to abuse it that way it always works. so, the question is, do you have a secret weapon? please share.

35x35

2010-04-02T11:13:00.005-05:00

i don't know about yall, but i'm ready for summer. even though it will come with it's own craziness (aka swimming lessons and potty training and the taking away of the "sassy", and putting the house back on the market) we won't have things going on every single day. i'm a simple girl, really. i enjoy reading and sewing and being outside. i enjoy having a clean home ~~that never is~~ and home cooked meals that include fresh vegetables. winter kills me. winter with kids in school and sports...i didn't know what i was getting myself into.

but enough whining. on a blog i read several months ago (cause i won't lie, i haven't read one in about 2 months now), i saw where a lady made a list of the things she wanted to accomplish by the time she turned 35. i thought that was a supercute idea and i made my own list. so in honor of my birthday that was this past monday (thanks for the facebook wishes btw), my list of things to accomplish by the time i turn 35. i figure if i give myself 3 years, surely i can do it!

so...my 35x35

1. attain and maintain a healthy weight
2. become a daily Bible reader/studier
3. grow out my hair enough to donate to locks of love (this is big since i have had it REALLY short for several years now! but it's chin length again, so progress!)
4. run once a week with my husband (shoot, run period.)
5. exercise daily
6. learn to play guitar
7. go on another cruise
8. do something Disney related
9. buy a monogramming machine
10. sell this house and move
11. be debt free
12. organize my garage (that's like saving the world at this point)
13. meet several of my blog friends
14. write a letter to each of my kids
15. take each of my kids on a trip alone
16. make the trip to dothan with all the kids by myself (just to prove i can)
17. take a photography class (or at least lessons from a pro)
18. take first girls trip with monica and joanna
19. get back to posting 3x week on my blog
20. give blood
21. get on the national bone marrow donor's list
22. do something cultural (like go to a museum or play or at least get hillary to invite me to one of those sips and strokes things...although i don't sip. how bout somebody host a dip and dabble...you know, eat and paint...but that contradicts number 1 doesn't it?)
23. have a monthly girl date (which could include meeting more of my blog gals) and my birmingham lovelies...i'm not too far from you, you know
23. buy a bike to ride with the kids
24. back to weekly meal plans/coupons
25. host something (party/brunch/shower)
26. new family portrait
27. take my mama on an overnight trip
28. freeze fresh veggies this summer
29. midnight showing of eclipse and breaking dawn (cause i'm a nerd)
30. read some of the classics
31. find a really good chicken salad recipe
32. cut down to one DDP a day
33. drink tons of water
34. visit ellen in las vegas
35. try to talk my husband in to letting me go to NYC to see anna b without him (cause he has never been and really wants to go. can't i count it as a scouting trip for the 2 of us??)

hope you liked it. hope you'll hold me to it. and by the way, AC has bumped her vocab up to 3 word sentences. (yuck..dat goss-yuck that's gross-, wook...see da fowers?-look, see the flowers) a lot of things are "look...see the...whatever she's looking at. and she will also give me the stink eye, cross her arms over her chest and huff at me. next up...the eye roll.

keeping us busy

2010-03-27T11:30:00.002-05:00

baaaaaad blogger

2010-03-21T12:09:00.002-05:00

seriously...i haven't blogged in nearly a month? how is that even possible? well, i'll be back this week i promise!! we have had kid/family activities out the wazoo, so i have plenty to catch up on. so i'll try to warn you when it's gonna be a popcorn day (meaning it will be long, so get some popcorn and hunker down.)

speaking of popcorn...yall know i was at target on saturday morning by 9:30 to get my new moon dvd, don't you?

love ya! miss ya!!

dangerous liaisons...

2010-02-24T07:30:00.000-06:00

this...

plus this...

equals nom nom nom...

and can get me in a world of hurt. now go leave me some songs for my workout mix dangit!

183...

2010-02-23T12:09:00.002-06:00

that's how many blogs i haven't read in the last 3 weeks. you heard me. a blog addict hasn't read a one in 3 weeks. micah had to be the one to tell me that hillary over at the other mama is having a girl. i nearly swallowed my tongue. so embarrassed. so now, i'm off to try to start catching up. micah asked me how much time i spent on the computer a day. i think b/c i'm playing/reading at nights and on the weekends (aka my regrouping time), he thinks i'm on all day. of course, he doesn't think about our little mountain goat (AC the climber) that i have to keep a severe eye on these days.

Music Monday: a playlist to move it

2010-02-22T07:00:00.001-06:00

so, a couple of weeks ago, micah took me on a date to best buy (he is the KING of romance!!) no really, the date was a surprise and that was the only time in 13 years he managed to pull it off!! kudos babe!! anywho, as mentioned before, i have been holding out for the microsoft zune. folks...that day has come!!! i am just seriously a buzz with excitement over the amount of music this thing is gonna hold! however, i am about to seriously need your help. this joker can house playlists. i've never made a playlist before. and the first one i want help with is the one that will get me movin!! warmer months are coming and living in alabama is just NOT conducive to wearing jeans all summer. especially when you have 3 kids that will require major outside time so that the mama doesn't go completely insane knowwhatimsayin??? so, that means i gotts get off some winter lbs. i've shed about 20 so far. and that's a good start. but i need new tunes in a BIG way. so i need your suggestions. i want something i can move to!! so click on that little comment button and help a sista out. if you don't, i'll think of you everytime i'm hauled in for heat stroke for wearing jeans this summer. no pressure!!

i think i would be remiss without some classic justin. am i right? (click on his name)
and i know someone is gonna kill me on this one. but i can't help it.

and the queen of booty...a little beyonce.

my the playlist we'll be working on next week...how bout easy listening...you know, chillin music. think acoustic.

oh, did i tell yall i got a guitar??? now to learn to play that thang.

when last we talked...

2010-02-21T16:46:00.002-06:00

i was hi tailin' it to montgomery to be there for the birth of my "niece" JoAnna Lane Chandler. whew, what a week that was! now, i didn't mean to leave yall hangin, but see, here's the deal. i was the DP (designated photographer) for this little shin dig, so i had no pictures from my camera to offer. so i have had to wait 10 days to give yall an update on the tiniest little angel i have ever held! yall, i was there for her first breath and it was absolutely precious!! i didn't even get to see my own kids take their first breaths b/c they were behind a sheet! monica was such a trooper. i am so stinkin proud of her!! she did awesome! JoAnna was born at 35 weeks and 4 days, so just over a month early. and she had absolutely no problems. (i don't count jaundice b/c if you ask me, every baby gets "the jaundice".) her daddy is a little proud, too. she weighed 5 lbs 5 oz and was 19 inches. monica says she is eating like a champ!! they are all doing really well. she doesn't have internet at home right now, so i may update her blog for her. you can leave her some love here, though. (and as a ps--please understand that i tend to be an OCD blogger and i prefer to post my edited pics, but picnik and i are in a major fight right now, so understand that this is my monica's angel in all her naturally beautiful untouched glory!!

she's having a baby!

2010-02-09T04:48:00.002-06:00

yall, go send monica some love. JoAnna has decided to come a month early!! i'll be headed out in a few hours to go be with them, so pray for my hubby who is awesome enough to take off work so i can go be with them!! prayers for monica and joanna...and daddy brad!!

music monday: mamacuh

2010-02-08T09:00:00.001-06:00

today, i'm departing from the norm a little bit. my monica is having a baby. this is her first and she is due in 32 days. she is having a baby girl. she tried and prayed for this angel for almost 2 years and now she is almost here!! i don't even have words for how every happy and excited i am. now, i am putting my friendship on major probation here by doing this. and i accept full accountability. but i just couldn't help it.

monica, i love you more than life. you have been good to me for too many years. and not just to me, but my whole family. you have the biggest heart of anyone i know. your life has never taken an easy path, but you have dealt with everything you have been given with dignity and grace, overcoming too many obstacles to count. you are going to be an awesome mom. it is the hardest, bestest job any woman could ever have and i know you of all people are up for the challenge it will bring. i can't wait to raise our baby girls together, with ally claire being the big sister to joanna. i just hope AC gets as good of a little sister as i did (cause you know i'm gonna teach her to kick some tail and tell people off. and i'll expect joanna to teach her to shoot a gun...with earplugs and shoulder padding.) anyway, all that to say, i love you and i can't wait to meet her!!

here is our song this week. it is called "tiny fingers tiny toes" by kevin derryberry. this is a long video, and the song doesn't start until 6:20 in. check it out. grab some tissue.

she speaks

2010-02-07T17:43:00.003-06:00

and she speaks a lot! today alone, three words i didn't know she knew were help, sit and mine. new lately are no, uh-uh (cause that's a word), luke stop (wooo, top!), ally, belly, abby (our pup)...

well, here are the ones off the top of my head: mama, daddy, bubba, luke, seth, pop, mimi, pawpaw, banana (nanny), apple, hippo, cracker, sassy (what we call her paci) uh-oh, up, down, cereal, snack, baby, ball, paper, i got it, there, bowl, phone, remote (mote), cookie, bath, milk, water, cup, socks, shoes, bed, diaper, bye bye,i love you....

gracious...i'm not sure where she gets it. i surely haven't proven to be so verbose these days.

up next...music monday!

music monday: what's playing

2010-02-01T07:00:00.000-06:00

welcome back to M&M. first, my friend sarah let me know that i'd be remiss if i didn't give us some classic "Manic Monday" by the bangles to start our first music monday. and she is right. luckily, i found an acoustic version. cause we all know everything is better when it's acoustic.

next, we are gonna continue with what's playing on my playlist. now remember, my little player doesn't segregate or discriminate. we are equal opportunity, and as such, i'm gonna just list what is playing this week and in what order. i'm not gonna list every one, cause you'd probably get bored.

Michael Franti-Say Hey (I love you)-this is from last week
Norah Jones-Turn Me On
Paramore-Use Somebody (cover from Kings of Leon, which i also like)
Rihanna-Rehab
Robert Pattinson-Stray Dog and Never Think (yes, my boyfriend Edward, that RPattz. what can't he do?)
Sarah McLachlan-Blackbird (cover from the Beatles)
Daughtry-It's Not Over & Home
Beyonce-Single Ladies
Soulja Boy-Kiss Me Through the Phone (you can also youtube an alvin & the chipmunks version) Michael Buble-Sway
Def Leppard-Pour Some Sugar On Me
James Morrison-You Make it Real for Me (i cannot tell yall how much i like this dude!)
Jason Mraz-I'm Yours
Jay Sean-Down
Joe-I Wanna Know
Justin Timberlake-Like I Love You

You see what I mean? Wait until next week when we review what cd's are in my van. Now that's a hoot! how bout a small factoid about me? did you know that one of my favorite bands is UB40 and i begged micah to buy me the greatest hits album one year? love it.

How bout you leave me a comment telling me what is on your playlists? that would be the most fun!!

music monday: new feature

2010-01-25T16:27:00.003-06:00

ok kids. in order to try to be more active here at the mockingbirds, i thought i'd try to incorporate something weekly. i'm not always good at giving recipes or menus and i haven't remembered to be thankful in forever (bad bad bad.) so i'm trying to get with it. an idea came to me while ironing last night. i'm gonna start music mondays. most people hate mondays, am i right? it's back to work. or back to work for your super helpful husband. too much to do. not enough caffeine to do it with. but i have to tell you, before my love of all things fizzy and caffeinated, is my love of music to get me going. i wash dishes to single ladies. i pumped gas to daughtry. i was ironing to michael franti (see below.) i sent some music to some friends last week, just being silly, and i thought it was a good break in our usual conversation and a mood lifter for sure. it's been said around here more than once that my taste in music is extremely eclectic. i have no shame in admitting that i can find love in nearly all kinds of music. (sorry, there is no place for techno or polka. i'm just sayin.) that being said, i hope to bring you something every monday that is music related. i hope to broaden your horizons by maybe introducing you to someone you haven't really listened to, revisiting some oldies but goodies, and make you get up and shake your booty for a much needed energy boost. i personally have found that i cannot get through any of my chores without my MP3 player. and i don't mean IPOD. i'm not that nifty. mine doesn't do neat-o things like have seperate playlists (although i am holding out for a microsoft one.) i just put music on it and it's all jumbled together. i don't even DARE go to walmart without it. i have to drown out that craziness. you really can see me boppin to the tunes in my head in the produce aisle and i'm not even a little ashamed. i may have accidentally ignored a check out guy once. if my dishes are gonna get clean, then i need music to soothe away the sounds of yo gabba gabba that are coming from the next room...do yall get what i'm sayin'?

now, i have recruited my girls from last week to help me with some suggestions. but i also want your help. everything is welcome here. i rarely discriminate. (but i DO reserve that right.) you are welcome to email me by sunday night with a suggestion of a song or just an artist that you enjoy. be sure i can at least find it on youtube or myspace for everyone to have listening enjoyment. i hope you'll play along. (btuckerrn@gmail.com)

for this week, i'm using my friend kristen's suggestion. one play of this song and i was hooked. it's just general feel good, get you up and going music. download it. you won't be sorry.

MICHAEL FRANTI--SAY HEY (I LOVE YOU)

surprise!!

2010-01-23T14:02:00.003-06:00

so i have left yall hangin' because i have had a crazy couple of weeks. i have had a birthday surprise to plan for my hubs that was immediately followed by his week long work trip. and i didn't think i needed to broadcast for the world that i was alone with the kiddos for a week, so i just left that part out. and after a week of absolutely no time to myself, i was backed up on my blogs again. so again, i've been reading about your little lives and how fun they are and the neat things you have been doing this morning while i recover from my week long hiatus from sanity. however, some of you have been asking what i did for micah's birthday, so this is what you are getting today. first of all, there are no pictures. cause we didn't really do anything exciting, but that's pretty much how we roll. we are completely content to just hang out. we've always been that way, which may be partly what has contributed to the fact that micah and i haven't been anywhere alone together in 8...EIGHT years. eight. why? well, at first it was a work/vacation issue. yall may or may not know i'm a nurse by trade, even though my job of choice these days is wife and mama. however, when i worked full time, i worked for an internist who has an insanely busy office and the only time you could have off was if he put you in the hospital...i'm only partly kidding. but i loved my job. anyway, after that, we kept on having kiddos. and we'd get one ready to where we thought they'd stay away overnight, just to have another one. but that baby train has made it's last trip, so it was time.

on to the show...
first i wanted to get micah some kind of tickets to a sporting event for a "boy date" for his birthday. then i thought "well, that doesn't give me the opportunity to do anything with him for his birthday." so i started thinking about what would be fun for us to do. so i started thinking i'd take him to the opry. but the good shows are on saturday nights and don't start until 7:30...so that was kind of out due to the babysitting factor (i mean, who wants to get up 3 kids on a sunday morning to get them ready for church if they don't belong to ya??) so i started thinking about an "overnight date". and once i had checked all necessary calendars, i set up the getaway. and while plotting that, i called our friends the tate's (who have FINALLY moved back close to us...a day trip anyway) to see if they wanted to meet us for lunch on saturday...a "double date". thus, giving my husband what i like to call "the dating trifecta" for his birthday. a boy date, an overnight date and a double date with awesome friends that we have missed BIG TIME. and the best thing is that it was all a surprise!! yall, i had to go all covert on planning this mission. i had to delete history on the computer, not that he checks, call his mama to procure babysitting, ask friends who go to nashville a good bit (oh yeah, that's were we went) to ask about hotels and restaurants, get his brother in on the hockey game (that was the boy date. we have a minor league team here in HSV.) and ask our friends to meet us on saturday. there was texting, secret phone calls, emails...gracious. but it was sooooooo worth it. he knew we were going on a date, but that was it. i told him the first part was a surprise. so he relented and wore a blindfold for about 20 minutes of the drive...until right as we got to the TN state line. that was how i told him we were leaving the state for our date. he was surprised for sure. like i said...EIGHT YEARS!!!! oh, and since he was out of town for his actual birthday, i called the cookie company in cool springs to order his birthday cake so that it could be a surprise too. it was awesome and i'm glad that we went. hopefully we'll get to do more of those in the future!!

braggin rights

2010-01-13T21:42:00.004-06:00

ok. i'm not one who usually condones braggin. but this time, i'm just gonna do it. so if it's not really your "thang", then just skip to the end to where i decide to keep it real for ya.

1.) I have been working on my picture taking skills. and by skills, i mean trial and error with the manual settings plus editing with picnik. i think it's getting better. i took some pictures for my life long friend, Elise, and her kiddos, especially her new baby. i took a few pictures at the hospital for her and then right around christmas so that she could use them as gifts for her family. well, first of all, i was flattered that she thought that my pictures were good enough to give as gifts. but then, after i edited them and she took them to get them printed, they asked her if she had the signature to release the pictures. like someone who knew what they were doing had taken them?! i bowed out my chest a little bit. made me feel all warm and tingly. i hope one day i really do get it figured out. now that would be awesome.

2.) Luke has been taking piano lessons for 10 weeks. they are about to get into the "meat" the the lessons. this is a class offered after school for an hour a week for several students at a time. his teachers have told me he was doing well. but this past monday was the end of the session until they start again in 2 weeks. i had thought about stopping for now, but both teachers pulled me to the side and begged me to let him continue his lessons. they said he was just so smart and had a lot of talent and to "never let him quit". and this was after they said "i can really tell you practice with him." i didn't have the heart to tell them that i practiced with him for 20 minutes on sunday nights. so maybe there is something to him having natural talent. i thought he might, but it feels good when someone confirms it. (and as a side note, i completely plan to let him take guitar lessons in a few years. in 10 years, he'll be 16 and i'll be beating the ladies off of him.) so proud of that little fella.

3.) i am planning micah a birthday surprise. and that is all he knows and that is all you will know until afterward. but know that it has occupied my time and that is why you are getting a post full of bragging all over my little self.

now...to keep my ego in check...
the speaker on the driver's side of my minivan (cause i'm super cool) has developed a buzzing noise in it. not sure if it has a short or is going bad. but no matter how low i turn the bass, or change the balance, it still does it. you have clearly arrived when you can make twinkle twinkle little star sound like it was recorded in the hood and that you sound like you are trying to "git jiggy wit it."

am i the only one?

2010-01-06T09:18:00.003-06:00

i only asked for one thing for christmas this year. you may not believe me when i tell you what that was...

that's right. a snuggie. even my friend hillary at The Other Mama can vouch for it's awesomeness. We have wood floors and live on a crawl space so it's gets pretty chilly in the winter at our house. i felt like it would be the perfect accessory for my couch-time "chain reading" i've been doing. and it is. HOWEVER...i feel like "the snug" could be improved upon. like it really needs a button or a snap at the neck to keep it on you when you are forced to get up and walk the 20 feet to the kitchen for your mocha. also, if you have one, am i the only one who feels like they could benefit from a little monogramming? maybe a little ribbon trim if yours is a solid color? yes? oh well...these are my random thoughts on a wednesday...a glorious day for chain reading as i am back to 2 kids from 3. kindergarten and the awesomeness that it is started back today. sanity has returned.

dude...this ain't right

2010-01-04T22:17:00.003-06:00

in what world is this even right? i live in alabama. such things ought not be. i have no words. mainly because my teeth are chattering to much to form actual words. and just so you know, that was from 6 tonight. i think brad (the meteorologist) has actually lowered those numbers cause i KNOW i just saw an 8 on there. EIGHT. grrrrr...or brrrrrr...whatever.

time...

2010-01-01T13:13:00.003-06:00

it really seems to get away from me these days. especially when there are sick folks everywhere i turn. and those same said sick folks keep me up with their coughing-from-their-toes at night. and because of it, i have taken to reading. folks...i need to confess. i have an addiction. i LURVE to read. i go through cycles. i typically get sucked into an "author" or a series that i can't put down. (do we really need to mention twilight again? ok...yes, we do. my whole family is feeding into my slight addiction. my stepmom bought me a new moon calendar. january is officially a good month on my fridge.) anyway, right now, due to being up at night, i have been voraciously reading. i get it honestly from my mom, and her mom. i mean, i have never seen them have a meal without a book in their hand. promise. and i always have something on my nightstand that is just waiting on me. do yall do that? (and yes, my reading preferences are pretty eclectic...like my taste in music. it's just about what moves me at the time.)

anyway, because i have been reading things other than blogs, i am waaaaaaay backed up. i mean WAY!! (please don't come to my house today b/c it is rank and where normally i'd offer you some sweet tea or hot chocolate or left over santa cookies...it just wouldn't happen today!) when i checked my google reader, i had 223 unread things waiting on me. um....i used to live for my google reader. i obviously haven't checked it in about a week. so i started today by whittling it down by going ahead and deleting all things decorative (except for Urban Grace of course...missing that kind of eye candy would be sacrilege) and by deleting folks that i stalk that i don't actually know (know as in, i haven't left them a comment. cause i consider us officially "friends" if i leave you a comment. i mean, you feel the same about me, right??)

so, this year, my plan is simple. stay on top of things. balance..........(are you laughing? i'm kinda laughing.) but, i DO plan to be better about my blog. while mine is mainly to keep up with friends and family, i DO love to try to be somewhat witty and charming, and sometimes i'm not feeling it and i hate to bore you to death. and so my lovelies, i bid you farewell for this new year's day. i'm gonna get caught up over the weekend and start monday with hopefully something new for you. (beware, i may resort to a great big picture dump if i can't find anything to say lol!)

we wish you a merry christmas...

2009-12-24T21:50:00.002-06:00

and a happy new year!!
(and anna b, if you are still visiting my little blog, happy hanukkah!!)

9 years and counting...

2009-12-16T07:00:00.001-06:00

sweet love, we have been married 9 years and it just keeps getting better! i keep thinking i don't know how i'll ever love you more, but i keep waking up another day and i do! thank you for being my best friend and my everything else. i wouldn't be me without you.

(this song was in our wedding. watch the video-that won't embed- if you don't know it. plus, here are the lyrics.)

Home To You--John Michael Montgomery
I get up and battle the day
Things don't always go my way
It might rain but that's okay
I get to come home to you
Sometimes life may get me down
And I get tired of getting kicked around
I feel lost in this maddening crowd
But I get to come home to you

You are my best friend
And you are where my heart is
And I know at the day's end
I get to come home to you

Hanging out in our old sweatshirts
You let me complain about a hard day's work
I don't know what I did to deserve
To get to come home to you

You are my best friend
And you are where my heart is
And I know at the day's end
I get to come home to you

You are my best friend
And you are where my heart is
And I know at the day's end
I get to come home to you

Yes I get to come home to you
Oh I love coming home to you

ps--fun fact...micah and i get each other ornaments every year for our anniversary. somehow, we haven't gotten each other the same one. this year, however...this is the year i was sure it was love. he told me he tried to find me a "twilight/edward" ornament. i think i'll keep him. he gets me.

and the winna is.....

2009-12-12T10:26:00.002-06:00

#5 which would be JOY from One Blessed Gal!! Joy, lucky duck...i'm just gonna let you coordinate with kera since you see her every week!! (right? yall go to church together right?? am i losing my mind? probably.)

a Christmas giveaway!!

2009-12-09T11:32:00.003-06:00

i thought that might get your attention!! since i tend to leave yall from time to time without good explanation, i thought i'd try to ~~win you over~~ spread some Christmas cheer with a giveaway! this one is for the kiddies. first of all, let me say that i am having a stinkin' hard time with the gift thing this year. but not so much with the kids, with the adults. but i'm also finding that i am running out of time, and fast. i have a shin-dig a week earlier than i originally thought, so i have to get with it!! like yesterday!

anyway, i have teamed up with Kera from SisterBug (and the Honea Bees) just in time for a Christmas quickie. if you need just one more think for your little one, or need something cute for the stocking, this is IT!!! it is a crayon roll and it will come in either the ladybug print for the girls or the football print for the boys!

all you have to do it leave me a comment! (and i'm hoping this will draw you out of your reader to do just that!! i know you are hiding.) and yall know i just love ya. you can get an extra entry by commenting about it on your facebook page!! (just let me know that you did.) i'll pick a winner on Friday morning!!

wanna know...

2009-12-07T10:56:00.003-06:00

what i'll be up to later today? i've got two girls that will be getting tutus for Christmas, and I can't wait to try them out!! How does one make a tutu? so glad you asked! Head on over to my friend Paige and her sister Brooke's crafty webpage. it's one you won't want to miss. The are so creative and it's stuff that is waaaaay easy. trust me when i tell you that if i can figure it out (and everything i attempt is self taught...which isn't saying much) then you can do it too!! for this project, you don't even have to have a sewing machine. if you have a needle and thread, DO IT!! tell them i sent ya!! I'll update with a picture later!!

cuteness of christmas past...

2009-12-02T11:46:00.002-06:00

i don't care who you are...that's cute right there!! if i do say so myself. i see so many facial expressions in AC as i do myself...even at that similar age. this christmas, she will be 2.5 months younger than i was in these pictures and i hope hers is as fun as mine was!!

does anyone who may still be reading this (since i have been so out of touch) have any favorite past christmases you want to share??

tasty tuesday

2009-12-01T07:00:00.001-06:00

wow! it's been a while, huh? life does that, especially this time of year. (~~i assure you that my going to see New Moon 3x has absolutely nothing to do with my absence.~~)

Susannah called me out on her blog for a recipe that i KNOW i have posted on here before. but for the life of me i can't find it. so here we go again. she called them "butterscotchies". i call them chocolate covered peanut butter krispies. but you know how i am with naming food. but here you go. perfect for the upcoming holidays. (let your belt out now!!)

You will need:
6 cups rice krispies
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips

Mix PB, sugar and corn syrup on medium heat until the sugar and PB dissolve. Pour mix over cereal and stir until well blended. Spread into a 9x13 pan. Melt all "chips" together and stir until smooth. spread over the top of the krispies. put in refrigerator to set.

i may be a grouch tomorrow...

2009-11-19T08:16:00.003-06:00

but it will be sooooooooo worth it! tonight i am going on my long awaited date with this fella...

that's right. i'll be spending 4 hours with edward. first, there is a showing of twilight at 9. then i'll be staying for the midnight showing of new moon. i'm so excited i don't exactly know what to do with myself. i'll probably get home between 2:30-3:00 a.m. and that probably won't make for a happy mama at 7 on friday morning. but, again...so worth it. and i already know of 2 other times that i'll be seeing it. so hate me if you must. think i'm insane. it's ok. i can take that too!!

minivan moments

2009-11-14T10:21:00.003-06:00

on the way home from school...

me: (looking @ Luke's pants that are covered in ~~mud~~ red clay)
son, why are you so filthy?
Luke: i don't know. what's "filfy"?
me: disgustingly dirty
Luke: oh. i played football (same as a couple of days ago which had the same results on his pants.)
me: well, did you have to roll around in the mud to do it? those may not come clean.
Luke: (obviously put out at this point by his mother's complete ignorance) ugh...well i scored 99 touchdowns!
me: well as long as it was 99...

clearly this logic is lost on me as i am a mere girl and mom. (and i'm also currently cussin' blogger for not uploading my picture for the 3rd time.)

the result...

2009-11-13T09:16:00.003-06:00

the jury is still out on the cinnamon rolls. maybe i can tell yall tomorrow how i really feel about them. however, amy recommended i try the hot roll mix from pilsbury. i'll do it...in a few weeks...when i recover from this week!

moving on...
i am no culinary genius. but i do what i can. so i set out to make the red velvet cake balls. first thing is first. RENAMING THOSE BAD BOYS!! cause let's be serious. no food should have the word "balls" attached to it. clearly that is an oversite in creativity and an overestimation of the general male population's ability not to laugh at anything you serve them that is called some kind of ball.
again...moving on.
i was not able to get my cake to dip and be covered in the chocolate, even though i refrigerated it and used a cookie scoop and a skewer to attempt to get it to do right. so, i gave up and went for the drizzle approach. i think they are insanely pretty and honestly, i don't know how anyone can eat more than one of those little jokers drenched in the chocolate. i think the drizzle is a WIN!!
so here you have them:
Red Velvet & Cream Cheese Minis w/ White Chocolate and Pecans
(sounds so much better than red velvet cake balls *giggle*)

from the kitchen...

2009-11-09T09:06:00.002-06:00

i have a lot more going on in my kitchen this week than is my usual. don't get me wrong, i cook mostly 5 nights a week plus sunday lunch. and that is enough to make me a little nutty. not the cooking part...the cleaning up part, if i'm honest. and my husband is a huge help. but dishes are like clothes and as soon as they are all washed, there are more waiting on you. (and while i'm at it, i think that is part of the rut i have been in. the continuous monotony of cooking, cleaning, wiping, washing, etc.)

anyway, like i was saying...more cooking this week. i'm not good at taking pictures while i'm doing something, so you'll have to be patient and visit the links. there are a few favorites i've done plenty of times before and then there are a few i haven't tried before.

yesterday, i made Harriette's chicken spaghetti for lunch. i made a double batch because i have a friend i'm taking supper to on friday. this double batch filled up a disposable 13x9x2 pan for the freezer, and 2 pie plates (one for us yesterday and one for the freezer that will probably go to another friend when she has her baby next week.) kids, that's economical. all of that with 3 chicken breasts, 2 boxes thin spaghetti noodles, 1 lb velveeta, 2 cans rotel, 1 can cream of chick, 1 can cream of mush, 2 pkgs dry ranch dressing mix. you can't beat that.

then i moved on to trying out the Pioneer Woman's cinnamon roll recipe. my intent being to make them and freeze them to take some to the afore mentioned friends and to have some for the holidays. let's just say that i have never made any kind of dough from scratch. i have been scared silly of yeast. always afraid that i'd have my liquid too hot and ruin the yeast. i stepped out of my comfort box and embraced the yeast. let me say that if you don't have a lot of counter space, you may want to start with 1/4-1/3 of the dough instead of 1/2. trust me. oh, and refrigerate that dough first. you'll never get it to roll tight enough to keep your rolls in shape otherwise (coughnot like i would know anything about thatcough.) so with the 2nd half of the dough, i had success and still it made about 50 rolls. no LIE!!

this saturday is the fall festival at luke's school. and let me just say, i'm the mom that will always sign up to send food to something. with 2 kids still at home and no babysitters, i may not be able to volunteer for much, but i can cook and take stuff to the school. no problem. they have a cake walk and i'm making red velvet cake balls that i found over at Kelly's Korner Recipes. i really want to see how they turn out. don't know about yall, but with the holidays coming (and me trying my darndest to lose and not gain weight) i'm more likely to commit to a cake ball and not the whole thing.

we'll also be having meatloaf, mexican lasagna (i think i'll have to owe you that recipe), granola and a few other various things that we (micah and i) love around here. i wish yall could come over!!

oh, and we are making progress on the picky eating front. sort of. the rule is that you have to try one bite of whatever i fix for supper. the daddy has not always upheld this rule. but here's how i abide by it...i fix supper. i fix a plate for me and ally claire. i sit down and eat. if they want something else, it was up to micah to do it b/c i stand firm. i now have the daddy on board. seth has always been pretty good to try most things. not luke. i have had an hour stand off with him over biting a chicken nugget (he doesn't eat meat as a general rule.) he has now tried 3 different things and i couldn't be more proud. so proud i may not should mention the insta-gag reflex. but he does it. and that is progress. soon we'll move to 2 bites and so on. i mean, he's only 6.

thankful thursday

2009-11-05T20:33:00.003-06:00

well, while we are still in the throws of "the 16 (going on 17) months" around here...

she is still an angel. see that halo??

she doesn't fight fair at all. how am i supposed to resist that face??

i knew it...

2009-11-05T17:07:00.002-06:00

i have pictures on my camera from the last 2 months that i haven't even stinkin looked at. and do you know that i think i can make 2-3 blogs about those? finally, writers block...unblocked. stay tuned. cause i'm pretty sure it will also a way for you to give back in this season of giving!!

as i sit here...

2009-11-03T21:33:00.002-06:00

there are 68 things in my google reader waiting on me. i think that's only 2 days worth. and i have actually skimmed through, picking out my actual friend blogs to read, leaving the folks i stalk for later. that used to never happen. but right now, i don't know that i have anything interesting to say. or maybe i have writers block. i'm not sure. would yall like to help me? is there anything you would like to know about me or my family that you may not know? i have done those 101 things about me surveys before. i'd have to go back and see if it needs revision. it's under the "about me" section over there on the right. but things change, ya know?? i'm in a bit of a rut these days, feeling like i'm spinning my wheels a bit...or a lot. do yall get that way? i'm also working on a "35 things i'd like to do by the time i turn 35" list. i think i got that from meg. i can't even remember now. do yall check her out? i've said it before. you totally should. anyway, give me some ideas. i'm fresh out. the cool news is that i get to go "home" in a few weeks for thanksgiving. i'm so ready. we haven't been to dothan since the first week of june and that was just overnight. i think that is the longest we have been not going. this school thing really throws a kink in the ole traveling schedule.

miss me yet?

2009-10-29T13:24:00.002-05:00

no? shoot. oh well, i'm up to my eyeballs in sick kids and have been for about 2 weeks now. i'm a tired mama cause the daddy has been a little sick too. so hopefully, i'll be back soon.

thankful thursday::southern style

2009-10-22T15:57:00.006-05:00

a few thoughts have come to me over the last few weeks about why i am thankful i live in the south. i figured i'd post 'em.

i'm thankful i can use yall's as a possessive. as in "it that yall's truck?" and it doesn't sound weird. well, at least not to me.

i'm thankful i live in an area of the country where people still pull off on the side of the road when there is a funeral procession. it's just respectful and it gives you an opportunity to say a quick prayer for people you don't even know.

speaking of respect, i'm thankful that around here, people don't think it's crazy to teach your kids to say "ma'am" and "sir". it's actually kind of expected. again, it's just respectful (even if your own kids can't seem to get a grasp on it.)

as much as i love some restaurants, i'm thankful that there are some that are closed on sunday...ON PURPOSE.

i took this picture outside of Lawler's BBQ where i live. you all know Chick-fil-a is also closed on sundays so that their employees can have a chance to worship with their families. i love it.

i'm thankful that when i go to someone's house and say you'd like tea to drink, it's gonna be sweet. i do not understand unsweetened tea (except for diabetics)...or hot tea. i like mine sweet and on the rocks please.

i'm thankful to live somewhere people will still tell you "have blessed (read bless-ed) day.

and something that i'm missing right now...my precious boiled peanuts. (by the way, the ones in this picture are the best. they are small and a little bit purple and a little sweet. soooo good.)

i endured a cold ball game this past weekend and called my brother to "give him a blessing" of my own. see, my SILs family is able to grow their own. they have no shortage. if you live above montgomery, you ain't gettin' any REAL boiled peanuts. infact, most people probably haven't even heard that you could do such a thing to a peanut. (it's strange to live in alabama and still sometimes feel like you are a yankee. no offense to my northern readers.) see, we have red clay up here...and that doesn't seem to be conducive to peanut growing nor white field pea growing for that matter. but that's a sadness to be shared in the summertime. ANYWAY, all that so say, i'm thankful i have access...even if i have to wait until thanksgiving to collect.

twilight tuesday

2009-10-20T15:19:00.000-05:00

we are at T minus 30 days peeps. confession about new moon...it KILLS me to read this book. it took me 3 times to read it straight through. i can't stand a break up. and the one with bella and edward is so angsty...yeah. i don't normally spend time with the fan videos, but i thought this one kind of captured the new moon break up. well done.

it's happening...

2009-10-16T07:26:00.005-05:00

a couple of weeks ago, i should have seen it coming. all of the tell-tale signs have been starting to emerge. the "demands". the whines. the pickiness. ~~the mama beginning to feel a lot insane~~. only, this one has been more subtle in the build up. so i'm nearly afraid that the full on HIT is gonna be much worse. i've never had one of these little creatures before...these GIRLS. i wonder am i gonna be able to handle one of these ~~monsters~~ angels that comes with the "h" word (hormones). I don't want to say that word outloud for fear that they may ~~awaken the beast~~ hear me. Yes folks, the dreaded 16 months has hit in our house in a major way with ally claire. what does that mean? you haven't heard of "the 16 months"? well, basically, it's the beginning of the terrible 2s, only in our house, it tends to start around 16 months instead. my children are nothing if not over-achievers. especially when it comes to major attitude. have a good weekend lovelies!!
edit: did i mention that she has found the "girl squeal"? you know the one...she hasn't completely noticed, but i have. she got sent to her room twice this morning. yea. said just like that. with a period. yea.

braggin rights

2009-10-12T16:04:00.004-05:00

i'm not normally that person. the one who likes to toot their own horn, if you will. but i have a couple of things that i just have to ~~rub in your face~~ share. let's recall that last week wasn't exactly banner in the tucker household. mama was in dire need of some anointing and i knew it was on the brink...which is why i am positive the devil was after me through ~~his sometimes evil spawn~~ my kids. the backstory...my first college roommate, ginny, asked me months ago if i wanted to go to memphis to a Living Proof Live event to hear Beth (cause like i have said before, we are on a first name basis. i know we are.) at the time, it certainly wasn't the want to that was the problem. it was the fact that school hadn't even started and my kids have birthdays during that time and soccer was a-comin' and i just couldn't nail down a way to make it all happen. fast forward to septemberish. i knew what to expect in our little life, and gin had plenty goin' on, as is her way. and i was ready for a break and we had never gone on a trip together. what was the worst that could happen? i'd have to enforce my end of the contract that binds us as long as she lives? (long story. she probably wouldn't want me to share. if so, she can leave it in the comments.) anywho, so i called her up, said let's go see beth and travis. (side note...get the man's live CD. so good!!) and we did. this past friday she came to pick me up, my hubby took a half day off of work to keep my kids (more on him in a minute), and without ever having been, we loaded up and went to memphis with about 6 google maps in hand. surely we could find where we needed to go. we got there fine. ginny was introduced to an experience like no other (can i say 13K+ people singing??? hello??) and lessons devoted to who God is...i believe we got what we went for. the Spirit was there and moving. now...remember those 6 maps i just mentioned. how bout it does you no good if you can't figure out where you are as a beginning point when it's dark, raining, and every downtown street is either blocked off or one way. after traveling in definite circles, we made a trip across a bridge. in the middle of that bridge there was a sign. that sign said "welcome to arkansas." i nearly threw up right there in her car. i hate metal closed in narrow bridges especially in the dark when it's raining and especially when i at least know we are headed in the complete wrong direction. i was wondering if i'd see our hotel that night. fortunately we did. what should have taken us about 30 minutes to get back to our hotel took us....TWO HOURS. that's what i said. Beth talked to us about what a wild goose chase was and about a wild God chase. we had no choice but to laugh about our wild goose chase. but i'll tell you this...after that debacle, i am a holiday inn devotee. that was good sleep. the next day was more awesomeness and zero lostness. soooo fun. want some good news?? Deeper Still is coming to BIRMINGHAM next December. (that's 2010.) what i want to know is who is gonna make plans to meet me there?? Cause I went to the one and nashville and I'll SHO go again!! (linds, since you live there, you better come. as with twilight, i wouldn't lead you wrong.)

and speaking of twilight...know how i know i have the BEST man in the living flesh?? as i already mentioned, he took off a half day to be with the kids while i had a girls overnight. but today, i caught wind that people mag has a special new moon edition out. and like a total fangirl, i asked micah if he would look for it since he'd be at the store anyway. do you know that he DID. that he looked on every stand and even in the book/mag section for it?? he gets me. he said he felt a little weird, but knows he wasn't the first or the last hubs to do that. i have issues. but i have a rockstar hubby and i KNOW IT!!

more good news?? tomorrow is MMO. again. which means i'll be back at BAM tomorrow. i have a feeling i'm gonna start getting weird looks in there.

and you wanna know why you suffered this whole thing without pictures? cause i completely forgot my camera. but i promise all of the above things happened.

Happy Birthday Luke!!

2009-10-07T07:21:00.005-05:00

Dear Luke,
Today you turn 6 years old!! SIX! I don't even know what to do with that. Where has the time gone? Today, as you were walking out the door to kindergarten, I realized that was the time your daddy and I were walking out the door to the hospital, 6 years ago, to go meet our first baby. You were the only one that required labor. And you didn't make it easy. But I guess you paved the way for the other two that were to come, just as you do now. Luke, you are so smart! You are too smart sometimes. I have no idea where you get some of the things you say. And music...you have a genuine LOVE for it and I promise I will feed that love as much as possible. I hope it's something you stick with and becomes part of you. You are kind to others (that don't share a room with you) and are a natural born leader. I am so proud of you and love watching who you are becoming. You are like your daddy in so many ways, but there is no doubt that your also mine. I love you so much it hurts!! Thank you for being the first to make me a mommy! You helped make all my dreams come true! Happy Birthday Big boy!!

it MAY have happened like this...

2009-10-06T14:29:00.003-05:00

i may have giggled a little bit when i opened my eyes and realized that today was tuesday (translated as MMO day...)

i may have giggled a little more when i thought about the fact that MMO day meant I'd have 3 hours to myself (well, with AC).

I may have giggled a little more when i knew she'd be taking a nap for about 1.5 hours of those 3.

i may have giggled when i thought about the fact that MMO is in madison, and so is books-a-million.

i may have giggled when i thought about the cosmic genius that MMO drop off is at 9:15 and BAM opened at 9.

i may have squealed in my head a little when i remembered ~~ok, planned for a week~~ that the New Moon Illustrated Movie Companion went on sale today and i'd already be in town so that i wouldn't have to make a "special trip" to pick it up.

I may have dropped seth off at MMO at 9:15 and been at BAM by 9:23...or so.

i may have had my cash all ready to hand it over like my inner 14 year old. (but i didn't do that immediately because that would be a little weird.)

i may have noticed it right by the door, but walked all the way to the back where i know they have the twilight section to see if it was there first (b/c you know...i know i may have a slight tendency to be addicted to this series...~~and wonder how come since micah is so "white", how come he's not a 107 year old vampire named edward.~~)

i may have had exact change left over from my purchase to go across the street to chick-fil-a and get the number 2 combo for breakfast (and know again that God has perfect plans for our lives.)

i may have gotten home and held the book to my chest like it was a sweet letter that i had gotten from the love of my life and smiled big and giggled like betty rubble on the inside.

i may have been counting the minutes til the sis went to sleep so i could look over the pics until i had to pick up seth (ok. so i didn't spend that much time on pics, but i didn't DARE start reading it. that will come when i can be without children.)

i may have picked up some chicken salad from kroger on the way home from picking seth up and after a couple of bites thought it tasted weird. then giggled again as i thought of bella and her "rancid chicken" in breaking dawn.

it may have dawned on me that i have "issh-uhs" concerning the series.

the one thing i know for a fact...if i get sick tonight, i will KNOW it is from that chicken salad and not from me being pregnant (~~by my pale husband or a vampire.~~ cause that's permanent. and after yesterday, i am praising God for that little procedure.) but...

i may giggle while it happens b/c i will totally be thinking about the chapter titled "unexpected."

i may have made you second hand embarrassed for me by letting you in on my twilight addiction. but that's ok. i will own it....maybe.

is it over yet?

2009-10-05T17:45:00.003-05:00

i'm fairly certain i've had enough today. i try not to put specifics on here about how irritated i can get with the kids. but today, i am breaking that rule. big time.

-spilled bottle of RED nail polish all over my bathroom and youngest. i didn't realize she had the bottle, nor that she could twist tops open. who knew?

-someone old enough to know better (not me) wet their pants for the 2nd time since starting school.

-someone stood in their room, took a toy bin, emptied it and peed in it.

i did what i knew to do. i called in reinforcement. i called "pop" and asked him to participate in shaming my child (cause i knew telling pop what he did would be punishment enough...well, after taking the tv away for a week.) what i didn't expect was what he told pop (and micah that i didn't hear.) when asked why he did what he did he said "cause i'm stupid." *siiiigh*

have mercy. what i said was "why did you do that? that was stupid." i guess the lesson i learned is that a 4 year old doesn't know the different between his actions and himself. so yeah, mama had to eat some words today. not the first time. not the last.

does anyone have the number for the valium hotline? cause i need it.

mama does a run-on sentence or 50

2009-10-01T08:50:00.004-05:00

all women, especially mamas, have to-do lists a jillion and four miles long. and they nevah get any shorter (amen?) i don't know about you, but sometimes i get so overwhelmed by my to-dos, that NOTHING gets done. now how is that supposed to help? wanna know what is going on in my head these days of things i need to get done?? well, you can start with my little on going projects list to the right side over there. (i haven't done much lately b/c i had to put myself of a "freeze" of sorts.) however, this weekend, I will be getting my fall decor on. that is a favorite time for me. i have always done outside decor in the past, but not much for the inside. weeeeelllll, watchit. cause this year, the fall is MOVIN' IN!! i think i may also take this weekend to get that final coat of black paint on my doors. i Lah-HURVE them. i think the jury is still out for micah. and i haven't gotten around to sewing the pillows for my furniture outside, but it will happen sooner than later because i need to sit down in the next week and crank out 60 scent blankets for the Footprints Ministry (which reminds me, it's totally time that i gave yall an update and gave you the opportunity to give *wink wink*!) the next weekend, after getting my fall on, i'll be gettin' my Beth on. huh?? that's right. i'm going to Memphis for the Living Proof Live event with my first college roommate, Gin. we've never gone on a girls trip, and getting some Jesus on was a good plan for us both! We'll be really close to St. Jude's, and while they don't do tours on Saturdays, I'm hoping we can at least go and just see it. I have always wanted to go and just experience being there (without NEEDING to be there, ya know?) We have soccer every weekend until Nov. 1st. Luke has a birthday next week. Tomorrow is my day to bring the "black snack" for Luke's class. Today we have a check up with the ENT for ACs tubes. The boys and I all have check ups later this month. (and that reminds me that i need to make a dentist appointment. i haven't been since i was pregnant with AC. that's gross. at least i have brushed and flossed since then...teehee.) My house always needs to be cleaned. My monica is coming this weekend. and i think she's having a boy. I'll love him anyway, even though i wanted him to be a girl so we could take mommy/daughter trips together. now i'll just have to rescue monica from boyness. we are gonna drop by the fiddler's convention to catch some crafts and funnel cakes. cause that's the whole point of the convention if you ask me. Luke will start piano lessons in a couple of weeks that they offer through the school for 10 weeks. I want to learn to play the guitar. I also want to learn sign language and be able to communicate effectively. I also want to grow my hair out long enough to be able to donate to locks of love. I went to get it trimmed last weekend. it got CUT and for the first time, i was NOT a happy camper. seriously. it set me back 3 months on my hair growth. I'm also going to attempt to read Wuthering Heights and Pride and Prejudice, because it struck me while reading the Twilight series for the 2nd time, that I had never read those 2 classics. And I've been walking at night, trying to find some semblance of my prebaby body which was lost 4 years ago (after luke, not so much. seth killed me.) oh, and speaking of health stuff, i am down to one thyroid pill still. my numbers are in the normal range with that one. i'm hoping to come off of them at some point. they have improved over the last 2 months while coming off of some of the dosage, so we will continue to wait and see. and in other health news, it's breast cancer awareness month. don't forget your "ladies". check 'em. tell your mama to check hers. tell your sister and your bestie to check theirs. they'll thank you. not sure what to do? go here. feel strange feeling yourself up? (that's what i said.) ask your hubs to help (cause everyone who reads my blog is married or at least grown.) your breast health is important to him, too. (how many readers did i just loose?)

so if i'm MIA for a little while, i'm either painting, decorating, soccer momming, growing out my hair, walking, praising, or getting felt up. (my family will die when they read that.)

minivan moments

2009-09-28T21:23:00.006-05:00

a couple of weeks ago, we were on the way to our first soccer game. i decided to pop in a little tune to get the boys "pumped up" for the big game. (and to escape anything they might want to listen to.)

the next time we got in the van seth says "mama...can we listen to the pun'kin up music?"
precious.

now, if anyone can tell me where i may have heard this music, as it's not my typical genre, then you get bonus points.
**and no, i still haven't edited these pics.

happy fall!!

2009-09-22T11:00:00.003-05:00

keeping me on my toes...

and part of the reason i haven't even edited the soccer photos for the boys. at least i uploaded them to FB for folks to see, right? so glad for fall to be here. will be "gladder" when the rain goes away. i mean, 2+ weeks? i distinctly remember God saying He wasn't going to destroy the world with a flood again. a fine line is being walked these days lol!!

just can't help myself...

2009-09-16T10:50:00.001-05:00

prayer request

2009-09-14T21:53:00.002-05:00

would yall please say a prayer for my friend Bonnie and her family? (i grew up with her in dothan where they still live. i believe they attend selma baptist church.) her angel baby boy is in the NICU at UAB. little man is a fighter and mama and daddy are doing their very best and praising God in faith. it's not an easy road. i know the ache of those empty arms. please go show them some love.
PRAYING FOR ETHAN

Happy Birthday Bubby!!

2009-09-13T13:10:00.003-05:00

My big 4 year old boy...where has the time gone?? Four means you are officially a big boy in our house. There is nothing baby about being a 4 year old (sniff sniff). Sethy, your delivery was by far the easiest, which is why I'm sure you can be the most challenging one to parent. But I'll tell you this, no one has ever been so loving at the same time. My little copperheaded snake, your mama (and daddy) love you more than I can even begin to say. Every day, I'd kiss the lips right off of your face, if you'd let me. You are so fun and so smart, and surely the most verbose around here. You may be smack in the middle, but I don't think anyone will ever accuse you of getting left out. No sir, you lead the "pack" around here. I love you and (as I type this, you are telling your daddy "naps aren't fun! naps are boring." never a dull moment.) welcome to big boy world!!

for entertainment purposes only

2009-09-11T12:54:00.004-05:00

i have noticed that there is no rhyme or reason to when i post. i only know that i try to fit in at least one a week. and i'm not sure why, because it's not like we are that interesting. but i guess i feel the need to reach out to my public. all 5 of you. since the last time we chatted, i have gotten to visit with 2 of my besties. my monica came and i was able to give her the rest of my maternity clothes (cause this baby makin' station is now closed and working on dilapidated!). (luke asked me "when monica's baby gets big and out of her belly, and is a big boy, will he call her mamaca?--true story) we didn't do much over the weekend because i had my nose shoved in some stephenie meyer goodness cause i was ~~hell bent on~~ determined to finish those not so little ~~crack viles~~ books. and i'll tell you right now, that was the best diet i ever went on. seriously, because i couldn't put them down, because i was all twitterpated with edward, i would choose reading over eating most days. who knew?? oh, and speaking of twitterpated, i decided to try my hand at twitter. see that column to the right? (get your head out of reader and actually come to my page to see) in addition to the teen angst that i so dearly love, i also love to know what stars are up to. i have NO idea why. i guess i really like to know that "stars are really like us." (yes, i actually twittered something to dierks bentley cause i am a hugemongous dork and seriously bored and don't feel like putting up the laundry.) but i do try to limit my actual paper reading to people. i figure they are the least tabloid-esque. i would assume they don't hunt these people down like dogs. but i could be wrong.

what was i saying? oh, what i've been up to. i got my pedicure (which i am currently exploring the world of toe art. the last 2 have included something on my big toes. pretty darn cute actually. give it a try.) seth started back to MMO this week. he did great. we were gonna be sending him two days a week, but i decided since he'll still have a whole year left after this one, i'll save myself on the gas and sanity of driving back and forth so much during the week. i mean, i already have to shower everyday and put on decent clothes to go pick up luke from kindergarten. oh--i have been about to explode to say this. please don't think terribly of me. just consider it a PSA. ok, there isn't a car line for the kindergarten kids. you have to walk to the doors of their hall and hold up a paper with their name on it (it really looks like herding cattle.) i have noticed this one woman all week. and not in a good way. yall...(here it goes...no filter) if your "girls" hang down to your waist, a bra is seriously required. people DO notice if those mamas aren't properly harnessed. and if you are insistent on going B2TW (ask if you need to know what that means), law have mercy...DO NOT WEAR A WHITE T-SHIRT.)

i'm sorry. did i really just rant about that? i did. but i just couldn't help myself. it is a problem that needs to be addressed before it becomes an epidemic amongst the rest of the mamas. anyway, i was also forced into single-mommyhood for almost 48 hours this week due to micah needing to travel (18 hours of driving for 4 hours of work...yeah) and that is NEVAH a pretty thing. as a girl on ANTM said this week "i'm not spoiled. i'm just well taken care of." and my man takes good care of us. he gives me the break i need at the end of the day. and so not only did i not have my mental break, but i had to haul limbs in from the back yard due to a sudden storm AND take out the trash. being a slave can be so hard. however, a highlight was the fact that i ordered pizza one of the nights he was gone. an hour and 15 minutes later, my order still wasn't here. they had to redo the order...so i got it FREE. thanks, papa john's. that was nice of you. warranted. but NICE!!

and so, i'm off to that shower and to get all harnessed up before the pick up line starts to pick up my little calf. oh, and soccer starts tomorrow. so that ought to be fun(ny).

thankful thursday

2009-09-03T11:33:00.002-05:00

i'm thankful everything went great with ACs procedure yesterday. I'm also glad that cold held off until today to get fired up. hopefully she'll go through it quicker than the rest of us.

i'm thankful that i get to see 2 of my besties this weekend. i have missed them a little too much and not told them nearly enough.

i'm thankful i can see my kitchen counters again. i was starting to wonder.

i'm thankful i have friends who let me shove baby stuff on them. nothing excites me more than sending out packages. and although my wallet doesn't love the postage, i always secretly wish i could be packed in every one of them to see reactions. clearly the best part. i just love random gift giving. it is way too fun. and within the next week, i will be sending out SEVEN!!!

i'm thankful for frivilous girly stuff. i have mentioned before that i don't get boys. don't get them at all. cave creatures, the whole lot. girls, i get. i FINALLY did a little shopping for my BFs daughter/my niece basically and she is luke's age. it is the 3rd trip i have made and finally forced myself to make a decision. the pink aisle is a good place to be again.

speaking of girly stuff...i am thankful for writers of all things FICTIONAL teen angst. two words (before the awesomeness that was 90210 and saved by the bell)...DAWSON'S CREEK. hello, one of my all time faves. (unfortunately, since noggin took it off of reruns, i had to get into gilmore girls. hey, i have to distract myself while ironing or folding clothes. can't help it.) anyway, right now i am reading the TWILIGHT saga. i said i didn't think i'd be into it due to the vampire stuff. i'm saying it now. in all caps. bookmark it. I. WAS. COMPLETELY. WRONG!!!! i have a little vampire crush on edward cullen because he says things like "you are utterly indecent. no one should look so tempting. it's not fair." and "you smell so good in the rain." WHAT??? who says that? a teenage 100 year old vampire made up by a woman. that's who. don't judge. my hubby completely knows i am feeling that way right now. and i'm calling him out. he has read the books already. and because of that, i now love him more. i'm sure i could find a cullenism to put there for how much. but my pizza rolls are ready.

thanks for all the prayers and thoughts for lil sis. yall are my B(log)BFFs.

tasty tuesday and tubes

2009-09-01T08:01:00.005-05:00

this precious angel right here...she is FINALLY getting tubes tomorrow. just say a little prayer that all goes well and that we have NO problem with her 5-10 minutes of anesthesia...and that she'll forgive me for handing her off to a stranger. she's a little attached to mama these days. i honestly know it will be a breeze of a surgery, but still. you know how it is. don't tell me you could resist that face. cause i know you can't. and yes, she wears those necklaces alll the time. i think i'll get her some pink and purple ones for being a big girl tomorrow. i can find those at the DG right? i'm still kind of a newcomer to the "pink aisle".

With the cooler temps in north alabama brings all things comfort. At our house this week that means homemade granola and chicken stew...but not together. I am kind of a granola snob. I got this recipe from Micah's mom and it is completely delish! And that also means it has been tested by picky eaters and approved (sorry Micah and Laura, but some things are just the truth.) You can add anything you like to this basic recipe...dried fruit, chocolate chips. I asked Micah if it was the same as he remembered since it was my first time to make it. He said (while it was still baking and making our house smell about 900 kinds of good) "well, it smells the same. so far it looks the same. i know it made a bunch, although mom usually ruined half of it by adding raisins." you people see what i have to work with?? all those things said were true, but it DID get a rave review the next morning.

Granola
1 one lb box of old fashioned oats
4 cups (1 jar) wheat germ
1 bag coconut
1 lb brown sugar
1 cup oil
1 cup water
1 Tbsp salt
3 Tbsp vanilla
3 cups sunflower seeds

Mix all dry ingredients (I used a 1.5 gallon tupperware bowl that has a lid and just shook it all together.) Mix wet ingredients together and pour over dry. Mix all together until well coated. Bake at 225 (yes...two hundred twenty five) for 1.5 hours until good and dry. (this fills 4 cookie sheets and will require you to make it in 2 batches--unless you have more than one oven...or have a huge one...i guess) rotate your pans 1/2 way through. pour out on to wax paper when done and crumble. store in air tight container. thank me later.

next week...chicken stew.